Investigated the validity of inferences from A. Jensen's method of studying group differences on cognitive tests (1985) and compared the validity of inferences to inferences based on multi-group confirmatory factor analysis using constructed population covariance matrices. Results show the insensitivity of Jensen's method and the superiority of…

Two experiments examined toddlers' ability to use cues to infer meaning of novel action words. Toddlers were taught labels for similar or dissimilar pairs of videotaped actions, with behavioral cues or eye gaze related to agents' intentions distinguishing similar events. Results showed that in year 2, children begin to consider…

Three studies examined the capacity of 4-year olds, kindergartners, second- and fifth graders, and adults to use trait labels (nice, mean, shy, not shy) as tools for making inferences about mental states. Findings suggested that even for 4-year olds, trait labels can serve as a basis for making non-obvious inferences. (Author/KB)

Examined 7- to 10-year-olds' ability to acquire a domain-general processing strategy--Control of Variables Strategy (CVS)-- and make valid inferences. Found that with explicit training within domains and probe questions, children could learn and transfer the CVS. Probes without direct instruction did not improve CVS and inferential thinking…

Four studies compared preschoolers' fast mapping of new proper and common names following indirect exposures requiring inference with their learning new names following ostensive cues. Found that inferential learning of names and learning by direct instruction were largely equivalent: learning from a situation with clear joint references…

Using Microsoft Excel, several interactive, computerized learning modules are developed to demonstrate the Central Limit Theorem. These modules are used in the classroom to enhance the comprehension of this theorem. The Central Limit Theorem is a very important theorem in statistics, and yet because it is not intuitively obvious, statistics…

Children's acquisition of vocabulary is essential for gains in reading comprehension and reading development. Struggling readers often do not make gains in their reading comprehension because they have a limited reading vocabulary. Enhancing the vocabulary development and growth for children who are experiencing reading difficulties enables them…

Understanding history is a challenge. In order to provide teachers with a tool that can help students acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to interpret primary sources and reconcile various historical accounts, the authors developed the SCIM-C strategy. Grounded in research on teaching and learning history and building upon Riley's layers of…

Background: Semantic and inferencing abilities have not been fully examined in children with communication difficulties. Aims: To investigate the inferential and semantic abilities of children with communication difficulties using newly designed tasks. Methods & Procedures: Children with different types of communication disorder were compared with…

The authors investigated the effects of domain knowledge on online reading among younger and older adults. Individuals were randomly assigned to either a domain-relevant (i.e., high-knowledge) or domain-irrelevant (i.e., low-knowledge) training condition. Two days later, participants read target passages on a computer that drew on information…

To synthesize studies that use structural equation modeling (SEM), researchers usually use Pearson correlations (univariate r), Fisher z scores (univariate z), or generalized least squares (GLS) to combine the correlation matrices. The pooled correlation matrix is then analyzed by the use of SEM. Questionable inferences may occur for these ad hoc…

Collaborative virtual environments (CVEs) hold great potential for people with autism. An exploratory empirical study was conducted to determine if children and youth with autism could understand basic emotions as represented by a humanoid avatar. Thirty-four participants (ages 7.8-16 years) reported to have autism interacted with a software…

A common criticism of merit-pay plans is that they fail to systematically target rewards to the most effective teachers. This study presents new evidence on this issue by evaluating data from Tennessee's Career Ladder Evaluation System and the Project STAR class-size experiment. Because the students and teachers participating in the experiment…

Five studies investigated (a) children's ability to use the dependent and independent probabilities of events to make causal inferences and (b) the interaction between such inferences and domain-specific knowledge. In Experiment 1, preschoolers used patterns of dependence and independence to make accurate causal inferences in the domains of…

It has been suggested that predictive and bridging inferences are generated at different levels of text representation: predictive inferences at a reader's situation model and bridging inferences at a reader's propositional textbase (Fincher-Kiefer, 1993, 1996; McDaniel, Schmalhofer, & Keefe, 2001; Schmalhofer, McDaniel, & Keefe, 2002). Recently,…