Implications of the term "gifted," including that of unjustified and unearned privilege, are considered in the context of findings on intelligence development, self-efficacy, education, prevalence, and the importance of labels. Five policy options are considered including abandoning the term and using performance rather than aptitude to organize…

Misconceptions about thinking skills instruction are that it will make students "smarter," raise achievement levels, and create better citizens. Reasonable expectations are that thinking skills instruction should be measured by short-term goals, a changed classroom atmosphere, concrete behavioral criteria, and the improvement of specific task…

This article reviews Piagetian theory on formal operational thought, the relationship of psychometric intelligence and formal operational thought, the development of formal operational thought in gifted children, problems encountered with Piagetian theory and attempts to modify it, and implications of the post-Piagetian perspective for education…

Provides the transcript of an interview with Dr. Lev Landa that addressed issues related to his algorithmico-heuristic theories of learning and instruction, called Landamatics. Highlights include teaching thinking versus knowledge; algorithms; instructional design; improving training and performance in industry, business, and government;…

Investigates the relationship between type of reading instruction and reading comprehension. Uses predictor variables including IQ, group, race, and comprehension pretest score to predict comprehension score. Finds that the dependent variable was not significantly related to method of reading instruction, and there was no interaction effect…

Questionnaire responses from 65 supervisors in human service agencies and interviews with 27 employers, supervisors, and vocational program administrators indicated that employees with moderate special needs (in this case specific learning disabilities and low intelligence) surpass others in several positive work habits. Supervisors valued…

Two experiments compared recognition memory of 85 nonretarded and 85 mildly mentally retarded adolescents immediately and 1 week after presentation of word stimuli of semantic incidental, nonsemantic incidental, or intentional orienting instructions. Results suggest similar processing in mildly retarded and nonretarded persons, with longer…

Early-treated phenylketonuria (PKU) children and unaffected peers were evaluated on four executive function (EF) tasks and one nonexecutive task. The PKU children scored lower than unaffected children on EF tasks, but not on the nonexecutive task. The PKU children's composite EF score was correlated with concurrent and mean lifetime phenylalanine…

Examines desirable functional features of hypermedia; describes its instructional uses and limitations; and discusses research issues, including learner control principles, the selection of information representation forms, the use of hypermedia as a knowledge base for computer-based instruction (CBI), and the development of intelligent…

Examines the relationship between intelligent agents (i.e., computer programs that carry out tasks for users) and intelligent tutoring systems and suggests implications for instructional theory and practice. A new model for instruction based on the concept of shared abilities and cooperative learning between humans and computers is discussed.…

The initial step in providing gifted children with appropriate educational opportunities is to identify them. Recently, education has taken more definite steps toward identification of gifted students. The paper describes characteristics of gifted children, discusses how parents can work with the school, and makes suggestions for fostering…

A Javits Grant Project of the Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools uncovers the strengths and gifts of traditionally underserved primary-level gifted children. The program design celebrates the multiple intelligences of children with economic disadvantage, limited English ability, or learning disabilities. (JDD)

A study of simple reaction time (SRT) and choice reaction time (CRT) in 71 Chicano adolescents suggests that Hick's model is appropriate for studying cognitive information processing in Chicanos. No age or sex differences were found for SRT or CRT, although there were some differences in SRT by family income level. (KS)

In a preliminary ethnographic study, the developmental tasks of 23 first-year and 20 fourth-year medical students were assessed with reference to practical problem solving. Findings provide direct support for a relationship between practical intellectual development and life course contexts. (SLD)

Examined ability of sociological and psychological variables to discriminate between violent and nonviolent criminal offenses among population of juvenile offenders. Findings suggest that violent and nonviolent serious juvenile offenders may differ with respect to their prior criminal experiences, familial and interpersonal relationships,…