TWO EXPERIMENTS WERE CONDUCTED IN ORDER TO OBTAIN A MATHEMATICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PERCEPTUAL PROCESS BY WHICH NORMAL AND MENTALLY RETARDED SUBJECTS SYNTHESIZE STIMULUS CUES IN PERCEPTUAL IDENTIFICATION. THE INITIAL STUDY EMPLOYED 50 COLLEGE STUDENTS, 34 GRADE SCHOOL STUDENTS, AND 24 MENTALLY RETARDED CHILDREN (AGES 9-16) AS SUBJECTS. THE…

Forty-five phonic generalizations were applied to 5,431 words selected from six spelling programs. Also examined was the grade level at which each generalization was introduced; and the applicability of phonic generalizations to the spelling vocabulary was compared to the applicability of the generalizations to reading vocabularies as determined…

Reported are the results of a study which investigated the influence of certain variables within the method of individually guided discovery in mathematics. The independent variables considered were the concepts of ordered partitions and permutations, the level of consolidation or practice after discovery, and the teachers. Also considered were…

This paper discusses the working principles that have grown out of the experiences of an architect and a psychologist working together as a planning team. According to the author, the true problem in planning and design is the prediction of behavior. Therefore, although the basic problems should be handled by the designer, a psychologist can…

Demonstrates that conservation of amount does not always precede conservation of weight. Subjects were 60 six-year-old children. (BD)

An analysis of variance model is recommended for data which display a peaked trend. These data are particularly common in psychological studies of stimulus generalization. A variety of hypotheses are suggested, and the testing of these hypotheses is illustrated. (Author/JKS)

To test reports that the development of programs for producing durable extra-therapy responding lags behind the development of programs for producing initial behavior change, responding was recorded continuously in both the therapy and extra-therapy settings for three autistic males (7 to 11 years old). (Author)

Procedures are proposed for increasing the accuracy of generalization assessment in applied behavior analysis with behavior problem populations by accounting for the degree of natural covariation between treated and untreated behaviors. (Author/DB)

Identifies and discusses general issues pertaining to research on social and personality aspects of adult cognitive development. Organizes comments around the concepts of selection and generalization. Suggests that concern with nature and effects of selection can help researchers in aging more efficiently and effectively design studies, analyze…

Some issues in the debate between qualitative and quantitative researchers are examined. It is argued that "local theories" that apply in particular contexts can allow quantitative researchers to abandon the search for universal theories. Parallels are drawn between local theories in the quantitative tradition and case studies in the qualitative…

Hearing-impaired 6- to 13-year-olds (N=24), trained to discriminate between two stimulus complexes differing in shape, direction, and number, were asked to discriminate between individual characteristics in all possible pair combinations. General failure to respond to all characteristics equally suggested that hearing-impaired children tend to be…

The paper reviews limitations in social skills research with mentally retarded persons, noting problems in conceptual development, validation of social skills objectives, and generalization. The most serious limitation identified is the failure to demonstrate that community integration and adjustment can be enhanced through training. (CL)

Reliability research has suggested that perhaps the construct of career indecision is not stable and modest test-retest correlations might be an accurate reflection of an inherently unstable construct. Using generalizability theory, stability was found to vary according to the difficulty in making a career decision. (Author/BL)

The technique of generalizing sample results in a classification study to large subpopulations of unequal sizes was examined. The usual output from the discriminant analysis routine in the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences was extended to handle the present statistical problems. Advantages of the technique were discussed. (Author/DWH)

The effects of token reinforcement on accuracy of math performance and generalization to social behavior with an adolescent underachiever were examined. Results indicated an increase in accuracy on math assignments during the token reinforcement condition. The procedures also decreased inappropriate verbalizations when consequences were provided…