Four experiments investigated time-delay discrimination training in improving the visual discrimination performance of 16 impulsive kindergarten children. Time delay of distinctive-feature prompts without self-monitoring did not produce learning. The added requirement of self-monitoring nonwait responses led to dramatically improved performance,…

Four experiments investigated six-year-olds' understanding of the say-mean distinction in referential speech. Concludes that young children are ineffective at using others' informational states in deciding whether a literal or nonliteral message interpretation is appropriate. (RH)

Investigates text cues and comprehension strategies used by competent readers comprehending lengthy written arguments. Finds that both text structure and signaling in introductions and conclusions consistently influenced the 12th-grade advanced placement English students' responses. Notes that these cues helped students recognize the argument…

This study evaluated the effectiveness of combining two training procedures (task-size fading and automatic prompting) in increasing the unsupervised responding of two adult subjects with severe/profound mental retardation. Results suggest the effectiveness of this combination of training methods. (DB)

Examined how the nature of spatial relations influences children's ability to remember relations between progressively larger landmarks and spatial regions. Found that when asked about the location of an object, children clearly understood that they should provide the landmark with which the object was positioned. However, referential…

A comprehensive review is given of evidence, with a bearing on the recommendation to avoid use of complex multiple choice (CMC) items. Avoiding Type K items (four primary responses and five secondary choices) seems warranted, but evidence against CMC in general is less clear. (SLD)

Nine adults with hearing impairments received a speech recognition drill using interactive video disk technology which included immediate feedback and partial cuing. Eight similar adults received a noninteractive video approach with delayed feedback and no adaptive instruction. No significant differences were found between groups in posttraining…

In a laboratory procedure, 66 infants of 12 months were given happy, fearful, and conflicting emotional signals by their mothers and fathers with reference to five unusual toy stimuli. There were marked differences among infants in their capacity for and style of coping with conflict. A variety of specific responses to conflict were observed. (RH)

Compares the efficacy of two treatment approaches for functional skill acquisition in individuals with severe and profound mental retardation (N=22) living in a large developmental center. Treatment that included staff training, feedback, and edible reinforcement in addition to prompting, modeling, and physical guidance was more effective than…

Two studies examined efficacy of context reinstatement in enhancing 5- to 7-year olds' recall. Results showed that children exposed to a context reminder 24 hours before the six-month interview and children interviewed in the event context did not differ but reported significantly more information than children in standard interview. (Author/KB)

Two studies examined 6- and 9-year-old children's recall about events in which they had participated one to two years earlier. Found that amount of information reported in free recall decreased over the one- or two-year delays. For 6-year olds, there was a small decrease in accuracy of free recall. Reinstating specific cues maintained recall, but…

Reports two sets of lexical priming experiments in which the morphological, semantic, and orthographic relationships between primes and targets are varied in three SOA conditions. Results showed that morphological structure plays a significant role in early visual recognition of English words that is independent of both semantic and orthographic…

Studies of the gain from reading-strategy instructions by young (n=41) and old (n=46) adults determined that older adults were more dependent on signals in text. A strictly cognitive approach to text learning is not sufficient for older adults. (JOW)

This study examined the influence of time press, specific stimulus, and type of creativity prompt on fluency and flexibility scores of 75 undergraduates. Results suggest that time press has a strong, and typically linear influence on both fluency and flexibility scores. A significant difference across stimuli was observed for flexibility, but not…

Two experiments investigated effect of video reminders on 3-year-olds' performance in representational change task. Children in video support condition viewed videotapes of their initial incorrect statements prior to reporting their initial belief; control children viewed an irrelevant tape. Found that children in support condition typically…