The study identified eight environmental stimuli present during the training of two moderately retarded students (ages six and nine). Results demonstrated that by altering one stimulus at a time, correct responding continued. Implications of the findings for stimulus control and generalization training are discussed. (Author/DB)

Examines whether problem solving, decision making, and other thinking skills depend more on deep expertise in a specialty or on reflective awareness and general strategies. General and specialized knowledge function in close partnership. The partnership's nature and implications for educational practice are explored. (Author/BJV)

The study found that transfer of training by mentally handicapped adults receiving Feuerstein's Instrumental Enrichment program could not be demonstrated in clients' workshop or job placement (far transfer) settings. Transfer was demonstrated on specific tasks designed to measure cognitive abilities developed by the program (near transfer). (DB)

Suggests metaphor is a linguistic tool for discovering meaning and a fundamental form of understanding. Recommends instructing students to produce and analyze extended metaphors by composing biographical portraits. (MS)

This article reviews the use of time delay, a nearly errorless instructional procedure, with mildly handicapped students. The procedure is outlined and data collection techniques are specified. Considerations for using time delay with learning disabled students such as programing for maintenance and generalization are discussed. (Author/DB)

This article presents guidelines for providing individuals with severe disabilities with a wide range of personal choices. It provides a rationale for teaching all individuals to participate in meaningful choice-making; describes basic types of choices; and suggests ways to generalize choice-making skills across settings, times, and people. (DB)

Twenty-five preschool children with specific language impairment and 25 controls were evaluated on generalization of trained bound morphemes to untrained vocabulary stems, in 2 training conditions: explicit, trainer verbalization of the affixation "rule" and an "implicit rule" condition. Findings indicated that explicit presentation of…

Involves 135 eighth graders in a study designed to identify those conditions that favor the transfer of laboratory-based science process skills to other areas of study. Data showed that a significant correlation exists between planning and performing (p<0.01), communication and interpreting (p<0.01), and performing and interpreting (p<0.05). (ZWH)

Children (n=27; ages 9-14) with moderate mental retardation received social skills training using a formal or informal metacognitive strategy approach. Both approaches resulted in acquisition of targeted skills and generalization to another setting. Subjects outperformed chronological age peers and scored as well as mental age peers. (Author/JDD)

A survey of studies in the "Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders" and the "Journal of Speech and Hearing Research" found that only 12 direct replications and 15 systematic replications appeared in a total of 271 studies. Based on the probabilities of false findings in this literature, replication is recommended to verify…

The nature of stimulus and response generalization is discussed, and a number of tasks related to generalization that are commonly taught in early childhood programs are identified. Research evidence concerning generalization is reported, as are recommendations for enhancing generalization. (Author/LB)

Four young adults with moderate mental retardation were taught to include "please" as part of requests, and four environmental stimuli present during training were assessed. Results indicated that presence of a single stimulus or pair of stimuli increased the probability of the "please" response, whereas presence of other…

Forty-seven children (ages 4-6) with language handicaps were assigned to receive training in 1 of 3 categories of phonological tasks (rhyming, blending, and segmenting) or a control group. Subjects made significant progress in each experimental category but demonstrated little or no generalization within a category or between categories.…

Lists 10 activities used to develop and reinforce the concepts of main idea and generalizing, after describing how a particular teacher connected a favorite meal with the understanding of these concepts. (MG)

The "count-by" technique of multiplication was taught to a fourth grade student with learning disabilities. The student learned to count by numbers not typically taught (e.g., fours, sevens, and eights). The method resulted in substantial increases in correct multiplications performed per minute, which were maintained and generalized to…