Three studies examined the hypotheses that: (1) codability and not extent of distance determines difficulty; (2) critical features and not whole objects are coded; and (3) implicit perceptual axes provide a frame of reference for coding the display. Results supporting these hypotheses are discussed in terms of a description of spatial…

Examination of physical education teachers' health practices, fitness status, and perception of themselves as role models suggested that the subjects had below average levels of physical fitness, although 72 percent thought that they were good role models for encouraging students to adopt important health and physical fitness habits. (CB)

Several experiments were undertaken with a total of 111 undergraduates. Subjects attempted to imagine how three-dimensional novel wire objects would appear from viewpoints other than that of the subject. Subjects were unable to perform this task without making use of strategies that circumvent the process of visualization. (TJH)

Investigated relationship between critical flicker fusion (CFF) thresholds and five personality characteristics (alienation; social nonconformity; discomfort, expression, and defensiveness) under three auditory stimulus conditions (quiet, noise, meaningful verbal stimuli). Results from 60 college students revealed that auditory stimulation and…

Compares two contrasting perspectives of social contagion processes (structural equivalence and cohesion) associated with the organizational outcome variables of commitment and role ambiguity in organizations. Finds that structural equivalence was more associated with role ambiguity and that commitment was more associated with cohesion. (MS)

A study of the reliability of teacher's interpretations of graphed performance data on students with moderate to profound mental retardation revealed that teacher judgments are consistent and accurate for continuous improvement in performance, but less consistent for variable performance. (MSE)

Findings are presented from a study designed to analyze qualitative differences in perceptual skills, measured in an educational context, between and among experienced, nominally experienced, and inexperienced teachers. Results suggest the groups differed in their ability to perceive and interpret classroom information. (IAH)

Forty-six full-term and 54 high-risk preterm infants were tested at six, seven, and/or eight months of age (corrected age for preterms) on assessments of visual recognition memory and tactual-visual cross-modal transfer. Scores significantly predicted Stanford-Binet IQ scores. Stability coefficients attained the highest degree of predictive…

Describes two studies to test the following hypotheses: (1) delinquent behavior that corresponds to sex stereotypes will be punished more severely; and (2) delinquent behavior that deviates will be evaluated more negatively. Presents model illustrating how sex stereotypes about delinquent behavior lead to sex-related differences in attribution and…

Investigates influence of three variables--sex of stimulus person, sex type of subject, and sex of subject--on ratings of the social perception of anger expression. Finds that the variables were important predictors of perceptions of anger, and that type of anger response unexpectedly influenced ratings. (MW)

Perceptual categorization and consistency of synthesized speech was studied with 10 normally articulating children (aged six-seven), 10 children producing /r/ misarticulations (aged five-eight), and 18 adults. Results revealed that variability in stimulus response was influenced primarily by subjects' productive ability, whereas differences in…

Talkers vary widely in the ease or difficulty with which they can be speechread. Examined are variables contributing to visual intelligibility, comparisons with auditory intelligibility, the range of talker differences, characteristics accounting for these differences (facial cues, extrafacial gestures, rate, and rhythm), and implications for…

Argues that evolution of the phonological systems of natural languages and the typology of distinctive features is based on perceptual discontinuities of the auditory system. It is suggested that neonates rely on these innate sensitivities for acquisition of sound systems and that some phonological variation in early child phonology results from…

Participants responded to a series of psychological, exposure and health questionnaires. Results suggest that effects of traumatic exposure on perceived health are partially mediated by increases in PTSD after exposure, supporting studies on the effects of stress on health. (BF)

This article maintains that "social role valorization" is not an adequate reformulation and replacement for the principle of normalization in services for people with mental retardation. The term "social valorization," in which the person and role are valued, is offered as a possibly more coherent replacement for the term…