Examines and rejects two traditional assumptions about fluent reading: that identification of letters is necessary to identify words; and that identification of words is necessary to comprehend. Proposes that identification and comprehension are two separate tasks and that a reader comprehends because he reads for meaning in the first place. (MB)

The functions of spaces between words in adult reading of text were investigated in three experiments. Results were consistent with a two-process theory in which filling parafoveal spaces disrupts guidance of the next eye movement and filling foveal spaces disrupts processing of the fixated word as well. (Author/RD)

Use of diagrams and three-dimensional aids in teaching laboratory techniques of tooth reduction was evaluated. The visual aids were found to be useful, but little difference was found in the effectiveness of two- and three-dimensional aids, possibly because two-dimensional aids provided step-by-step instructions while three-dimensional models did…

Self-recognition abilities were measured using an optical system and a psychological scaling procedure that results in a recognition threshold. Subjects were 30 mentally retarded adolescents and 30 normal college freshmen. (Author/CM)

Statistically significant correlations of .37 and .57 were obtained between infant recognition memory scores obtained at four to seven months and later vocabulary tests of intelligence, for 54 children tested at four and for 39 children seen at seven years, respectively. Obtained values did not vary by sex. (Author/RD)

Training programs for auditory and for visual figure-ground perception were constructed and tested with brain-damaged and mentally retarded children. Training groups showed higher gain scores than the control group on both tests, but the effect was significant only for visual training on visual figure-ground perception. (Author/SJL)

Preschool children were asked to choose the figure most resembling a real man from three figures drawn according to formulas used by children to depict humans. Results suggest development of drawing systems influences children's conceptions about objects or events. (Author/DB)

Comparing the effectiveness of four methods for training young children (4-4.5 years) in the skills of visual discrimination necessary to letter knowledge acquisition, this study indicates that training in oral description of critical cues of letters contributes to superior achievement in learning to match letters. (JC)

Compared good and poor spellers at the third- and sixth-grade levels on seven tasks that measured visual and auditory discrimination, memory, analysis and synthesis skills. Results indicated tasks discriminated between good and poor spellers at the third-grade level and sixth-grade level. (Author)

Investigates the differential effect of modeling procedures on slow and fast responders' performance on a haptic-visual matching test. Also studies the differential effect of modeling of impulsive v reflective modes of responding, and of model success v model failure. (Author/SS)

An adaptation of the Visual Efficiency Scale, which incorporated familiar three-dimensional objects into the task, resulted in a more successful measure of visual proficiency when tested with 15 developmentally delayed kindergarten and primary grade children. (PHR)