This paper describes an open day held for fifth and lower sixth form girls which was designed to encourage them to consider pursuit of either a degree level program or coursework in artificial intelligence at the University of Sussex. It is noted that, although the students who attended the program were enthusiastic, the number of applicants was…

The Processing Services department of the Library of Congress initiated a project to learn about expert systems technology and to examine potential applications of expert systems to functions in their department, e.g., acquisitions, cataloging, and serials control. (An expert system is defined as an artificial intelligence computer program which…

A growing interest among industrial and organizational psychologists is learning how to predict and maximize trainability. This study was conducted to examine the relationship between dimensions of cognitive style and perceptual mode as well as their association with a learning style instrument, explore the relationship between field…

This paper examines the cognitive structures and processes that mediate mathematical and scientific ability. Ability is divided into achieved abilities and precursor abilities. Identified concepts in the area of achieved ability include expertise, understanding, and problem-solving. Other abilities can be seen as precursors to such achieved…

Drawn from several comprehensive bibliographies and computer searches of volumes by speakers at the Conference on Thinking, this brief bibliography presents resources for researchers and practitioners interested in the areas of cognitive and critical thinking skills. The materials are divided into the following topic areas: (1) general, (2)…

This Digest overviews legal challenges in five areas of test use for decision-making in schools: ability tracking, placement in special education classes, test scores as college admissions criteria, test disclosure, and teacher competency testing. Cases illustrating these challenges are described and include: Hobson v. Hansen (1967), Moses v.…

It was recently concluded that experiments "indicate that relatively brief interactions with a commercial game can cause a significant improvement in children's performance on an IQ subtest" (Dirks, 1982). The present paper makes three points. First, Dirks' analyses were not appropriate to the research question, and hence provide no…

This paper examines the relationship between democratic citizenship and information technology. Modern information technology disputes the idea that citizens can be properly educated to assume the burdens necessary to reap the blessing of freedom. Information technologies challenge the ability of citizens to fulfill the fundamental requirement of…

A battery of aptitude and vocabulary tests was administered to 477 students from two high schools. Test scores were correlated with grades in three mathematics courses (algebra, geometry, and algebra II/trigonometry) and scores on the PSAT and SAT. It was found that course grades are most strongly related to analytical reasoning, English…

In order to (1) determine the cross-situational generalizability of self-monitoring behavior and (2) explore the correlation of self-monitoring behavior with other cognitive skills and achievements, 96 fifth-grade children were given three tasks assumed to measure the ability to self-monitor knowledge state during learning. During the first of two…

Designed to address the management and use of computer software in education and training, this paper explores both good and poor software design, calling for improvements in the quality of educational software by attending to design considerations that are based on general principles of learning rather than specific educational objectives. This…

Two studies were performed with Puerto Rican children and adolescents in Puerto Rico and Connecticut to determine the reliability and predictive validity of the Spanish translation of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised, the Escala de Inteligencia Wechsler para Ninos-Revisada (EIWN-R). Results suggest that the EIWN-R is a reliable…

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the field of scientific inquiry concerned with designing machine systems that can simulate human mental processes. The field draws upon theoretical constructs from a wide variety of disciplines, including mathematics, psychology, linguistics, neurophysiology, computer science, and electronic engineering. Some of the…

Reviews the major research studies on equal educational opportunity and outlines some of the more obvious policy implications for the schools. (Author/WM)