Background: Verbal intrusion errors are irrelevant responses made in the course of verbal memory retrieval or language production that have been associated with disruption of executive functions and the prefrontal cortex. They have been observed to occur more frequently both with normal aging and with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's…

The ability to learn and retain novel information depends on a system of structures in the medial temporal lobe (MTL) including the hippocampus and the surrounding entorhinal, perirhinal, and parahippocampal cortices. Damage to these structures produces profound memory deficits; however, the unique contribution to memory of each of these…

A study was conducted to determine whether children think about the verbal messages embedded in songs, or merely sing the words without thinking about them. A total of 48 preschool girls and boys viewed a televised vignette of the song "Frere Jacques" under varying conditions of language comprehensibility, rehearsal, and repetition. The visual…

Written for secondary, technical, and technical and further education (TAFE) students, this book aims to make learning easier and more enjoyable by showing students how to use a series of basic study skills called "keys." The book offers an explanation, examples, graphic illustrations, and activities for each skill. Chapters include: (1)…

A variety of games for beginning second language learners are described. The games are designed to develop the student's confidence in communicating in the target language and to help establish his interlanguage. They include: a bilingual guessing game, to be played by a learner and a native speaker; a game to match words, pictures, and…

The paper gives reasons why the type of social studies genuinely committed to the education of citizens in a democracy has never flourished in the United States, though such education is crucial to the nation's survival. Social studies, as a discipline, should be utilized to solve social problems and not be a vehicle for imposing a particular…

Reinforcing the concept that study skills instruction needs to be part of the curriculum at every grade level and needs to be taught through a developmental approach, this resource book provides suggested student competencies, teaching approaches, and sample activities. This guide contains a section for each of seven study skills--locating…

Previous research by A. I. Schulman argued that an observed systematic decline in recognition memory in long word lists was due to the build-up of input and output proactive interference (PI). It also suggested that input PI resulted from process automatization; that is, each list item was processed or encoded in much the same way, producing a set…

READING READINESS IN YOUNG CHILDREN IS INFLUENCED BY SEVERAL FACTORS. PHYSICAL FACTORS OF VISUAL AND AUDITORY ACUITY, MOTOR COORDINATION, AND GENERAL GOOD HEALTH CONTRIBUTE TO READINESS. SOCIALLY, THE CHILD MUST BE SELF-RELIANT, COOPERATIVE, AND ABLE TO SHARE WITH OTHERS, HAVE GOOD LISTENING HABITS, AND BE ABLE TO ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY. MENTAL…

The comprehension and recall of instructional text is heavily dependent upon the contexts in which information input and retrieval occur. College students (N=44) recalled the contents of a hierarchically structured text immediately after study and again six weeks later. Total meaningful recall was better when the superordinate concepts, or cues,…

This paper describes an experimental course in which the author taught students to improve their learning skills. It is a first step toward constructing a systematic body of knowledge about learning strategies. The course covered four topics, chosen because they were complex enough to require several weeks to make progress, but simple enough that…

A word of caution is needed about the tendency of language teachers to seize on simplistic and unproven solutions to complex problems. For example, the concept of individualization, when it is limited to having students work in isolation to fulfill mechanically-prescribed objectives, should be questioned. The so-called "systems approach" to…

Two short-term strategy training programs were used to teach learning disabled 9- to 12-year-old students (N=42) to use an organizational strategy for a memory task. A three-rule program stressing the acquisition of specific strategy content showed a greater transfer of learning than a six-rule program teaching both specific strategy content and…

A total of 160 second-grade children were assigned on the basis of a free-recall pretest to four instructional conditions and were given a series of lists of pictures for free recall. Results focused on different levels of recall displayed by experimental and control groups. (Author/CI)

Outlines leadership capabilities that effective principals can exert to improve the teaching of higher level thinking skills to students. An important initial step is to make the development of student thinking skills a building priority at the school. (MD)