Reports on a study that suggested that those who watch television news primarily to gain information recall more than others, and that casual viewers recall more than those seeking diversion or both diversion and information. (GT)

Forty-three learning disabled children referred to a medical outpatient clinic because of reading difficulties were evaluated and followed for a period of five-seven years to study the course of their reading achievement and its relationship over time to various characteristics. (DLS)

The predictive effectiveness of intelligence tests and learning tasks was examined for Black and White subjects. Results indicated the IQ was a more reliable predictor for the White subjects than for the Blacks, and for the Black group, certain learning tasks were more effective than IQ as predictors. (Author)

Multiple regression is used to discover interconnections between IQ and vocabulary test scores as one variable, and socioeconomic factors as the other. Results show total variance as explained by predictors is never more than eight per cent, indicating differences in IQ scores are not attributable to environmental factors. (RW)

Attitudes toward the urban environment and place of origin were found to be the best predictors of an optometrist's practice location. Findings of this study imply that optometry students most likely to enter rural practice can be objectively identified early in their training and that the predictive equation presented may be useful in the…

Mathematical abilities at the beginning of a physics course weakly correlate with performance in the course. (MLH)

The congruence between mothers' and teachers' ratings of master motivation among 81 children (age 3) with mental retardation was investigated. Mothers rated children's task persistence behaviors higher than did teachers, and maternal ratings of the child's master behaviors were predictive of the child's task mastery performance two years later.…

Examined social address variables (race, community, children's sex and age) and parental beliefs (confidence in children's abilities and ability to teach their children, nature of children's intelligence, achievement-related childrearing values) in relation to parents' aspirations for children's educational attainment. Found each belief a…

Used the theory of planned behavior in a sample of 15- and 16-year-old students (N=285), to create a comprehensive model for predictors of adolescent smoking. Students with lower conduct/morality self-efficacy had more positive attitudes toward smoking. Discusses results in terms of potential interventions to discourage adolescent smoking. (RJM)

Identifies developmental, social skill, and problem behavior subdomains that best predict academic achievement and grade promotion or retention in the early school years. Tests of 184 students at the end of kindergarten and then one year later indicate that social skills assessment should be included in kindergarten screening packages. (RJM)

A study of 10 high-risk (of child physical abuse) and 10 demographically similar low-risk Spanish mother-child dyads investigated interactional patterns in the home. High-risk mothers made fewer neutral approaches to their children, displayed more negative behaviors toward their children, and made more indiscriminate responses to their children's…

Examined relationships among drinking norms, peer alcohol use, alcohol availability, drinking location, alcohol consumption, and drinking-related problems among young adult drinkers (N=3,095). Results show that drinking norms and peer alcohol use influenced alcohol consumption and drinking consequences. Drinking in public contributed to alcohol…

The MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory (a parent-report measure of vocabulary and syntax) was administered to 103 children (mean age 103 months) who participated in a study of temporal resolution as infants. Children who had performed above the median on the temporal resolution task demonstrated better later language development than…

Two studies compared the relative effectiveness of a developmentally based language facilitation program, a direct language facilitation program, or a combined developmental/direct program for 52 preschool children with disabilities. Both studies indicated that no program was better overall. Differential effects of the interventions could be…

The demographic and psychological variables associated with seeking help in coping with emotional problems in early and middle adolescence from parents, friends, and professionals were studied with 221 adolescents. Differential patterns of predictor variables emerged for each helping resource and for both genders. (SLD)