Recommends that family therapists be aware of the dynamics of the malfunctioning family which affects the process of alcoholism. Describes a family program which is part of a comprehensive alcoholism treatment program. Individual and group intervention address the family problems set in motion by alcoholism. (Author/JAC)

Performed a factor analysis on the results of the Wechsler Memory Scale for 99 older males to determine how normally aging older adults perform. Results seem to indicate that the manner of functioning in later life becomes deficient in quality rather than in quantitative performance. (Author)

Illustrates how children constantly solve communication puzzles in the course of language acquisition and offers suggestions for teachers and parents to assist children in their understanding of language. (HTH)

Until recently, norms of experimental reasoning have lacked systematic theoretical development. Thus, it has been easy for psychologists like Tversky and Kahneman to misclassify certain human reasoning processes as being Pascalian and invalid, rather than as being Baconian and valid. (CP)

One of the greatest needs in curriculum development today is for balance, not only in the goals, content, and objectives of the curriculum, but also in the learning theories that teachers apply to their methods and media of instruction. A student learning guide based on a mixed theory approach is presented. (Author/CMV)

Discusses how concept maps with two dimensional diagrams which show hierarchical relationships among concepts of a discipline can be used in teaching physics. An example for teaching a course in electromagnetism at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil is presented. (HM)

Presents a pilot study on student thinking in chemistry. Verbal comments of a group of six college students were recorded and analyzed to identify how each student arrives at the correct answer in fixed response items in chemisty. (HM)

Four levels of notetaking (summary, paraphrase, verbatim, and letter search) were used to control depth of processing of a prose passage with high school students, who then either reviewed their notes or read an interpolated text. Results favored groups with deeper levels of processing on two post-tests. (Author/RD)

Adults read stories; then made plausibility judgments about statements with respect to the stories. The inherent plausibility of the queried statements, the amount of attention subjects focused on information necessary for making a judgment, and the interval between presentation of the relevant information and the test probe were varied.…

Four experiments demonstrated that mental images are functionally equivalent to physical errors of movement in producing changes in visual-motor coordination, at both central and peripheral levels of the visual-motor system. Subjects observed or imagined pointing errors after pointing movements were completed. Imagery vividness ratings were also…

Two experiments demonstrated that a priori expectations and context increase the benefit gained from a preview of a word in parafoveal vision. Subjects named visually presented words preceded by a "preview" stimulus with and without constraints. Subjects combine two sources of information so as to derive a benefit. (Author/RD)

Earlier research with the lexical decision task led to the hypothesis that semantic context facilitates the encoding of words related to the context. Six experiments which employed different tasks (e.g., making a lexical decision) and different experimental paradigms (e.g., tachistoscopic exposures with masking stimuli) further investigated this…

Remarks directed to Peter Augustine Lawler and an earlier article are presented. The rationale for a program of philosophy for children developed at Montclair State College is compared with Roland Garrett's conception of philosophy. Distortions in Lawler's perception of current philosophical practice and teaching are indicated. (MLW)

Subject matter in general education is simply the vehicle for instruction. Beyond the disciplines themselves, general education should provide seven forms of competency: vocabulary, learning skills, methods of inquiry, perspective, understanding of limitations, ability to find implications, and sensitivity. (MSE)

The authors propose a matrix for a comprehensive approach to cognition and aging. The dimensions of the matrix are (1) biological, psychological, and social factors; and (2) the information processing variables of input, processing, and output. (Journal availability: Department of Adult Education, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506.) (SK)