Discusses the meaning of information in terms of Shannon's mathematical theory of communication and the concept of uncertainty. The uncertainty associated with the transmission of the signal is argued to have more significance for information science than the uncertainty associated with the selection of a message from a set of possible messages.…

The conditions under which explicit instruction in checking, combined with worked examples, may be beneficial in learning how to translate sentences into algebraic equations was examined from the perspective of cognitive load theory. In two experiments it was shown that Grade 8 and 9 students were initially disadvantaged by the inclusion of a…

The effect of adding time for processing compressed speech and the effects of questions that gave adjunct pictures either a redundant or contextual function were investigated. Subjects were 144 fourth- and fifth-grade students randomly assigned to 24 groups. They listened individually to a 20-sentence story at either 225 or 300 words-per-minute…

The reasons for creating international auxiliary languages, such as Esperanto, are examined. The study of the synthesis of such languages is considered useful for linguistic theory. (Text is in German.) Available from Humanities Press, Inc., Atlantic Highlands, N.J. 07716. (TL)

Four groups of 10- to 16-year-old educable mental retardates listened to a 20-sentence story; subjects (1) viewed pictures; (2) generated mental pictures; (3) heard each sentence twice; or (4) listened to the story once. Recall of story information was highest for those who viewed pictures. (Author/GDC)

Teachers and testers should encourage children to repeat or restate verbal stimuli in order to enhance their comprehension. Changing the administration of a language comprehension test to include such restatement significantly raised the mean test scores of four- and five-year old Head Start children. (CTM)

Elaboration and overt rehearsal are compared as instructional paradigms for memory retention. Superior long-term retention was produced in the elaboration condition when the initial acquisition effects were statistically removed. Short-term data suggest acquisition was complexly affected by experimental condition, I.Q., and task. Elaboration…

Finds developmental differences in the abilities of eight-year-old, eleven-year-old, and adult second language learners to repeat certain grammatical sentence structures. (RL)

A sample of library-output statistics measuring circulation, reference, and in-library use was collected from 76 libraries and tested for redundancy, correlation, and variation using time-series analysis to test the Relative Fidelity of Measurement Model (RFM). The 275 sample statistics correlated in an unpredicted pattern. Twenty-three sources…

Three experiments investigated the conditions under which redundant verbal information would facilitate a listener's performance. Kindergarteners, first graders, and fourth graders were asked to select which of several groups of pictures a message (either redundant or constructive) described. Verbal redundancy was found to facilitate only older…

The production of informationally redundant choices in a selection concept attainment task was investigated in relation to age and intelligence, using 62 adolescents aged 12:7--15:6 drawn from the lower middle ability range of a comprehensive school. (Editor)

Investigates the role of stimulus repetition during on line aural identification of harmonic sequences by 72 adult beginners. Demonstrates that the first presentation is a powerful image influencing subsequent identifications. Clarifies the role of repetition and provides an explanation of the incidence of repetition in omitted and incorrect…