This paper reviews the research literature regarding the importance of Witkin's theory of psychological differentiation, particularly the research on measures of field independence using perceptual disembedding tasks. The first phase of development of a multiple-choice perceptual disembedding measure, the Finding Embedded Figures Test, is…

The questions of purposes and methods as related to assessment of student learning are considered. It is difficult to find assessment invoked without a parallel call for improvement, particularly improved teaching and learning. Also, much attention has focused on problematic dimensions of measuring what students learn, but the fundamental set of…

Electrical brain activity (EEG) was recorded while 13 male and 11 female college students performed a series of recognition and memory tasks. The subjects were right-handed and between 21 and 42 years old. The selected tasks varied in cognitive load from simple recognition of a word flashed on a computer screen to relatively complex serial and…

The major objective of this study was to observe the learning behaviors of teachers selected by their school districts to attend a training institute to learn some new ways of teaching. The teachers expected to use these new ways of teaching themselves and also to conduct training for other teachers in their own districts. This presentation…

To increase teachers' sensitivity to their students' learning styles, this paper points out some behavioral characteristics displayed by many right-hemispheric children. Additionally, the distinction between children who are either "part perceivers" or "whole perceivers" is explained. Functions of brain parts as well as several remedial,…

Two experiments examined children's ability to apply three different standards for evaluating their understanding. Five-, seven-, nine-, and eleven-year-old children were presented with short narrative passages within which were embedded three types of problems (nonsense words, internal inconsistencies, and prior knowledge violations), each of…

Rubin and Peplau's Just World Scale is based on the belief that a just world is a unidimensional construct in which individual beliefs are polarized according to immanent justice or ultimate justice. To investigate the effect of personal style on just world view, 109 male and female college students (who previously had completed the Just World…

This project was designed to construct a single theoretical framework for the analysis of problem solving and real time "attention and performance" behavior. The model was developed as a computer program. It was designed in a similar manner to that of various problem solving simulations that use the "production system"…

An exploratory study investigated the relationship between loneliness, coping strategies, and cognitive styles in a sample of 52 gifted students from rural Nebraska (mean age 17.25 years). Assessment measures consisted of the Woodward Loneliness Inventory, the Kalyan-Masih Coping Inventory I, and the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT), which…

This book is designed to provide practical suggestions and teaching approaches for both administrators and instructors involved in teaching reading to adults. The book contains the following chapters: (1) "Overview"; (2) "Diagnosing Learner Characteristics"; (3) "Goals and Objectives"; (4) "Planning…

The concept of adding pictures to text to attempt to produce significantly better recall when instructors are not available was examined in this study. Forty-seven undergraduates, selected from an original group of 90 who took the Group Embedded Figures Test, were classified as field independent or field dependent, and randomly assigned to one of…

The theories of cognitive development put forth by William Perry and by Jean Piaget are helpful in understanding the writing choices students made in responding to an assignment involving writing a persuasive essay. Some students were looking for the "Right Answer" and when they found it, they assumed that everyone would agree with them.…

Experiential learning theory, as developed by David Kolb, offers a useful framework for designing courses to meet diverse learners' needs. Kolb describes learning as a two-dimensional process: grasping the experience (or taking in information) and transforming it. In early life, we are primarily engaged in acquiring information and the basic…

Previous research has shown that seeking help is an important and ubiquitous behavior in higher education. However, relatively little is known about the person and situation determinants of academic help-seeking. This study was designed to differentiate types of help-seeking and examine sources of help and goals. Students (N=386) in biology,…

It has been hypothesized that the use of techniques to enhance motor skill acquisition and retention in the elderly may retard the onset of retirement, result in the continuation of a productive professional career, allow continued participation in recreational activities, and possibly slow the decline in physiological functions that normally…