This article advances an attributional theory of motivation and emotion, with achievement strivings as the theoretical focus. Causes of success and failure share three common properties: locus, stability, and controllability. Stability of causes influences changes in expectancy of success. Expectancy and affect guide motivated behavior.…

Describes a study which utilized a Likert type questionnaire to assess seven scales of secondary pupils' attitudes toward computers and robotics (school, leisure, career, employment, social, threat, future) and investigated pupils' scores on functions of their sex, general academic ability, course of study, and microcomputer experience. (MBR)

An investigation of how secondary students coped when taught binary arithmetic through a computer assisted instruction program used four treatment groups: learner control, learner control with advice; random program control, and adaptive program control. The random group performed less well, but no differences were found between learner and…

Describes two experiments in which high school students who studied a map/prose combination expected either a spatial/locational or verbal/event posttest. Results indicate test expectation instructions significantly influenced kinds of information students were able to recall, and type of preinstructional expectation had a pronounced effect on how…

This study examined computer anxiety, computer confidence, and computer liking among high school and college students, and explored effects of computer experience, age, and sex on their attitudes. Computer experience was significantly related to positive attitudes; no clear age trend was demonstrated; and sex was not significantly related to…

Describes a study comparing the way cognitive manipulations affected the emotional responses of preschool and elementary school children to a frightening film, i.e., telling children the presentation is not real, and role-taking. Emotional responses of 9- to 11-year-olds were modified by instructional sets while 3- to 5-year-olds' responses were…

Examples are given of the variety of mathematical concepts and problems being studied by psychologically oriented researchers in France. Work on decimals, circles, natural numbers, decimal and real numbers, and didactic transposition are included. Comments on designing research on mathematics concept formation conclude the article. (MNS)

Psychological and motor performance modeling research literature is reviewed to identify important factors involved in and affecting the modeling process as it relates to motor skill acquisition. Future research directions are discussed, and implications for physical educators and coaches who employ modeling as an instructional technique are…

Professors of methodology and curriculum in teacher education are the most effective conduit to bring research findings to the practitioner. More involvement of methods teachers in research funded by the National Institute of Education, particularly in reading research, would have a greater effect on classroom research. (PP)

A study explored attitudes and perceptions that may influence how University of Maryland students utilize dental services. Significant variables included: (1) students' attitudes toward dentists; (2) mother's visits to dentists; (3) dental problems experienced the previous year; (4) dental anxiety; (5) sex; and (6) perceptions of the number and…

Conclusions from studies dealing with student responses to declarations of children's rights provide a basis for discussing concomitant responsibilities of children, parents, teachers, and psychologists in the school setting. Although there are implications for other areas, chief concentration is on safeguarding children's rights concerning school…

This paper begins with an historical review of research on television and children, summarizing the major questions asked and the knowledge gained about the medium. The authors then describe a new focus of research, dealing with the form of the television medium, not just its content. (Author/SJL)

Uses psychological research to examine affirmative action policy, noting that many studies indicate that affirmative action as a policy has more benefits than costs. Discusses issues of merit, asserting that affirmative action policy conforms to the American ideal of fairness and is a necessary policy. Suggests that affirmative action is superior…

Examines the relationship between employment factors and well-being for a sample of White and Black middle-aged men and women. Findings include a positive correlation between job satisfaction and life satisfaction for all four groups, and between job satisfaction and happiness for White women and Black men. (FMW)

Describes study of children in grades one, three, and five that examined their active processing and short term memory (STM) of color, contour, and interior pattern of shapes found in computer digitized pictures. Age-related differences are examined, and the role of processing visual information in the learning process is discussed. (12…