This study investigates the relationship between selected student characteristics and an indicated preference for self-directed study. Additional relationships between academic achievement, self concept, cognitive style, and teacher ratings are also examined. Subjects for the study were 58 students from grades five through eight in a large county…

The organization of nine selected cognitive abilities from Guilford's structure-of-intellect model (SI) was explored in a sample of Spanish-English bilingual students. One hundred and ninety-four seventh and eighth graders were assigned to take a battery of nine cognitive ability tests in Spanish or English. The nine tests measured convergent…

This paper provides a historical review of national standardized testing and its relation to ethnic and racial minorities. In the pre-World War I period, psychological testing was conducted on the large masses of immigrants that were arriving in the U.S., and on black and white army draftees. Generally these tests showed that black draftees and…

Family socialization patterns were examined from the viewpoint of the child and the parent in terms of parental socialization practices, attitudes, and goals. Questionnaires were developed and used to collect data on the parents of about 1,300 families and the children (7-13 years old) of approximately 400 families in West Germany. Results of…

The author, after reviewing briefly the research literature on dropouts, mentions the following shortcomings of such studies: (1) lack of ability to control for differences in the students' abilities; (2) incomplete and inadequate measures of socioeconomic background; (3) inability to control for qualitative differences in the schools attended;…

Standardized norm-referenced tests have been much maligned in recent years. They differ from criterion referenced tests in that the latter involve assessment in comparison to an absolute standard or specific performance objective while in a norm-referenced test assessment is made in comparison to other students taking the same test. Standardized…

Presented is a bibliography of over 100 bibliographies (published in 1963-1975) intended for social workers, teachers, and other professionals working in the field of mental retardation. Entries are arranged alphabetically by author or contributing organization under the following categories: general references, biochemistry, care of the mentally…

Sex difference research has been plagued with a myriad of problems,. Specifically, intelligence testing, if dependent on measurement of spatial or verbal proficiency, may not be an accurate indicator of native ability. Similarly, infrequent replication of studies, studies that only include subjects of one sex yet imply sex differences, and poor…

This paper presents a review of the literature concerning the infant Apgar scoring system and its relationship to later mental and motor development. Since 1952, the Apgar scoring system has provided a viable means of assessing the infant's immediate postnatal condition. Researchers have demonstrated that while the 1-minute Apgar score is a useful…

The study investigated the visual discrimination abilities of children who varied in their ability to recognize words. Measures of word recognition and intelligence were obtained in 87 first-, second-, and third-grade subjects. All subjects then performed a visual discrimination task which uses artificial graphemes as stimuli. The task required…

This paper presents a study designed to determine whether or not parents' attitudes and children's intelligence scores affect children's reactions to television programs. Preschool children's behavior before, during, and after the viewing of two half-hour television programs, "Sesame Street" and "Polka Dot Door," was compared.…

Fifty-eight middle class children were tested over 6 years with 25 achievement, I.Q., and personality tests. Consistency of test results were evaluated by a variance comparison method and a simple signal detection model. Both methods lead to the conclusion that achievement tests are far better predictors than personality tests with I.Q. scales…

NLS-SCHOLAR is a prototype system that uses artificial intelligence techniques to teach computer-naive people how to use a powerful and complex text editor. It represents a new type of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) system that integrates systematic teaching with actual practice; i.e., one which can keep the user under tutorial supervision…

This study is concerned with the manner in which experience with concrete, quantitative, interpersonal, and verbal content influences the development of ability patterns in first grade children. The literature related to theoretical models of intellectual development indicates that abilities develop in response to experiential variables, such as…

Internal reinforcement control is defined as one's belief that his rewards or punishments are contingent upon his own behavior. This study tested two main hypotheses: (1) that inconsistency in the home environment interferes with the development of internal reinforcement control, and (2) that internal reinforcement control can be increased by…