A survey to determine worker perceptions of the types of skills that are needed to survive in the world of work that are in addition to those specific technical skills taught in vocational programs. (Editor/TA)

The Personality Research Form (PRF) was administered to 1,095 college students. Students were divided into groups of nonusers of drugs and alcohol and users of a variety of drug combinations. Results suggest organization of motivational tendencies is the same for both sexes and for different types of substance users. (Author)

A study evaluated Delta College's associate degree nursing program with results showing that there was no relationship between grade point averages, State Board Examination scores, and job performance of nursing graduates as rated by physicians and supervising nurses. Strengths and weaknesses identified in job performances were greatly influenced…

Sex-typed and androgynous subjects rated the similarity of handwritings on masculinity-femininity and also rated the writings on an absolute scale of masculinity-femininity. The data supported the hypothesis that subjects who monitor their own behavior on a given dimension are more sensitive to cues in others relating to that dimension. (Editor/RK)

Discusses the revised definition of mental retardation in a 1992 manual by the American Association on Mental Retardation. The key principles that provided the foundation for the development of the new definition are described, including the paradigm shift from facility-based to services-based to supports-based models. (CR)

Argues that an educational definition of mental retardation has to be sensitive to the motivational self-system and the self-regulatory processes that underpin performance of students with mental retardation. The theory of motivational orientation that explains the differences in students with intrinsic motivation or extrinsic motivation is…

A study investigated the extent to which the University of Kentucky medical school's 16-member admission committee shows consensus across various admission motions; what factors predict degree of unanimity in decisions to accept, reject, or hold admission candidates; and relationships between particular background characteristics of committee…

Describes how decision makers utilize information, and synthesizes models of organizational information and communication between science and government. Usage is affected by interrelationships of several variables: decision makers' environments; organizational and individual characteristics; and character of the information. Variations in usage…

Investigated the development of reorientation abilities in humans in contrast to other mammals. Findings support the domain specificity of human's core cognitive abilities, the conservation of cognitive abilities across related species and over the course of human development, and the developmental processes by which core abilities are extended to…

Examines interactions between victim age and victim response, and victim relation to perpetrator and victim response influencing perceptions of child sexual abuse (CSA). Results suggest that undergraduate students' perceptions of CSA are influenced by several factors and that laws regarding CSA may not be well understood. (Contains 29 references,…

This article discusses social giftedness and its characteristics. Social giftedness is defined as the exceptional capacity to form mature, productive relationships and develop effective social interactions with peers and others. Special abilities include understanding, empathy, tolerance, and justice. A study using the Delphi technique to identify…

Discusses the cognitive characteristics, neurobiological bases, and language and reading abilities of individuals with hyperlexia. A study of 12 children (ages 7-13) with hyperlexia is summarized that illustrates the dissociation between decoding and comprehension and the limited use of meaningful context to aid decoding. (Author/CR)

Presents a statement from the National Council for the Social Studies that focuses on citizenship education. Includes a list of characteristics of an effective citizen and an effective citizenship program. Encourages educators to prepare students to assume their roles as U.S. citizens. (CMK)

Performance on working memory span tasks by 53 children with intellectual disabilities (ages 11-12) was compared to 45 age-matched and 41 mental-age matched controls. Although consistency was poorer than children age-matched on all tasks, performance of subjects exceeded mental-age matched controls on visuo-spatial short-term storage and…

Examined the effects of 2 examinee sample characteristics (group heterogeneity and performance level) on score reliability of optimal performance measurement using extant data sets of more 50,000 high school students and 10,000 sixth graders. Results suggest that both characteristics affect score reliability, and measurement error tends to be…