This study compared the lexical mapping (acoustic-phonetic analysis) stage of auditory word recognition in 21 children (mean age 8 years 9 months) with specific language impairments (SLI) with children matched for either chronological age or vocabulary. The SLI children performed comparably to control groups on all dependent measures related to…

Compared the mismatch-negativity (MMN) component of auditory event-related brain potentials to explore the relationship between phonological short-term memory and auditory-sensory processing in 7- to 9-year olds scoring the highest and lowest on a pseudoword repetition test. Found that high and low repeaters differed in MMN amplitude to speech…

Examined abilities of 3- to 16-year olds and adults to resist interference during the processing of two auditory dimensions of speech--the speaker's gender and spatial location. Found that the degree of interference from irrelevant variability in either dimension did not vary with age. In the presence of conflicting task-irrelevant information,…

Responds to David Butler's discussion of aural training in music education. Emphasizes the need for more music educator involvement in aural-skills instruction and more research on aural-skills acquisition. Places Butler's discussion within the historical context of the past 30 years of music education philosophy. (DSK)

The Auditory Continuous Performance Test (ACPT) was evaluated with 12 children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 11 children without ADHD. The study found that the ACPT has acceptable specificity but very low sensitivity and thus cannot currently be recommended as a screening test for ADHD. (Author/DB)

This study examined whether middle-class African American children (N=47 and ages 5-10) might improve their performance on the Screening Test for Auditory Processing Disorders (SCAN) when tested by an African American versus an Anglo American examiner. Examiner race did not appear to influence SCAN performance. However, a significant learning…

Examined exogenous orienting among infants between 7 and 21 weeks of age in 2 experiments using display with multiple potential attention targets. Found that as early as 7 weeks of age, sensitivity for a small moving stimulus can be significantly influenced by the simultaneous presence of competing attention targets. Found large increases in…

Examines motivational foundations of exercise behavior, presenting a theoretical model in which motivation is the proximal precursor of exercise, which is determined by perceived constraints and situational facilitators. The paper explores the role of cognition versus automaticity in exercise behavior and examines habit versus routine, presenting…

Reviews the existing research on the role of grandparents in the lives of children with disabilities. Although parents and grandparents report a wide range of supportive activities and involvement, grandparents may also be an additional burden. Clinical and educational professionals are urged to facilitate the role of grandparents as a resource…

In a study investigating principals' career life cycles, five urban secondary principals were interviewed. When analyzing interviewees' perceptions of their leadership, different role perceptions emerged that appeared to be influenced by length of time in service. Experience may lead to a lessening of creative tension via intrusion of current…

Two experiments examined 6-month olds' ability to categorize natural infant-directed utterances. Infants heard seven different tokens from one class of utterance (comforting, approving). Findings indicated that infants who later heard a test stimulus from the unfamiliar class showed response recovery, whereas those who heard a novel stimulus from…

As one high school teacher found, allowing students to use preferred learning modalities can increase their enthusiasm, raise their achievement levels, and foster growth in other intelligences. This article shows how two students demonstrated their mastery of nuclear and organic chemistry by using kinesthetic and spatial problem-solving…

Presents an acoustical model and evidence from four experiments that children with visual impairments use the buildup of low-frequency sound along walls to guide locomotion. The model differs from the concept of echolocation by emphasizing sound that is ambient, rather than self-produced, and of low frequency. (Author/CR)

Analyzes findings from a special (British) program that explored emotional dimensions of primary headteachers' leadership. Conceptualizes the emotions' role in organizations. Principals felt they had to abandon their humanity to lead, had sole responsibility for holding things together, and considered "good-enough" (imperfect) leadership…

Investigated in 6 experiments how 4.5-month-old infants' perception of a display is affected by an immediate prior experience with an object similar to part of the test display. Found that infants' use of a prior experience is disrupted by changes in the features of the object, but not by change in its spatial orientation. (JPB)