The study, comparing 27 pairs of mildly mentally retarded students and normal achievers (ages 6-8), found that mentally retarded subjects evidenced lower performance on experimental oddity problems but were able to generalize to very different oddity arrays. High levels of sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive accuracy, and negative…

Caution should be taken in viewing previous research indicating that negative evidence, a special type of error correction to eliminate overgeneralizations, could be crucial to second-language learning, because the underlying theories adopted for that research possibly could be flawed. (10 references) (CB)

This study used a seven-stage instructional methodology to successfully teach a comprehensive test-taking strategy to six secondary learning-disabled students. Evidence of maintenance and generalization is reported. In the second article, answers are presented to questions about strategy training in general and this study in particular. (Author/DB)

The partial credit model with a varying slope parameter is developed and called the generalized partial credit model (GPCM). Analysis results for simulated data by this and other polytomous item-response models demonstrate that the rating formulation of the GPCM is adaptable to the analysis of polytomous item responses. (SLD)

A script fading procedure was effectively used to teach 4 children (ages 9 and 12) with autism to initiate interactions with peers. Increased initiations (to within normal levels) generalized to a different setting, and for three of the children were maintained at two-month follow-up. (Author/DB)

Transcripts of undergraduate group discussions uncovered strategies used to explore assumptions: defining, qualifying definitions, eliminating inappropriate meanings, broadening the context, testing generalizations by hypothesis and personal anecdote, challenging generalizations, challenging the original question, challenging the validity of…

Describes methods for item construction for computer-based instruction (CBI). Use of a rational set generator (RSG) in presenting an adaptive sequence of items to the learner is described; a model matrix of a computer-based RSG is presented; concrete and defined concepts are discussed; and rule using is explained. (Four references) (LRW)

Three assumptions regarding good teacher education are presented. Teaching strategies are then categorized and discussed according to their place in a training sequence: before, during, and after the training. Each of the teaching strategies promotes generalization of the instructional skills taught. (JDD)

This study found that general-case instruction, used to teach three adolescents with severe disabilities to request assistance, produced generalized requests with two of the three learners. General-case instruction appeared to be superior to single-instance instruction. (Author/JDD)

A model for describing dynamic processes is constructed by combining the Rasch model with the concept of structurally incomplete designs. This is accomplished by mapping each item on a collection of virtual items, one of which is assumed to be presented to the respondent depending on preceding responses or feedback. (SLD)

A distribution theory is derived for a G. V. Glass-type (1976) estimator of effect size from studies involving paired comparisons. The possibility of combining effect sizes from studies involving a mixture of related and unrelated samples is also explored. Resulting estimates are illustrated using data from previous psychiatric research. (SLD)

This study, with five adults diagnosed with Broca's aphasia with agrammatism, evaluated the acquisition and generalization of complex-sentence production using Linguistic Specific Treatment (LST) and the utility of syntactic theory in evaluating treatment effects. The study's findings support the use of LST, which applies syntactic theory to…

Effects of adult contingent vocal imitation on vocal imitation skills of three young (26 to 29 months) children with mental retardation were investigated. All children vocally imitated in response to adult contingent imitation during training. There was minimal generalization to adult contingent imitation and elicited imitation prompts but…

This study explored whether an identity-matching-based stimulus equivalence procedure could be used to teach vowel and consonant stimulus classes to two adolescent females with moderate mental retardation. Both participants acquired five-member classes of vowel and consonant stimuli, which subsequently generalized to vocal classification and to…

Programmed identity-matching training was given to five participants with severe mental retardation and histories of failures in assessments and training attempts. When an intermediate goal of establishing one-trial discrimination learning was eliminated, four participants completed the program and passed tests for generalized identity matching…