Four experiments are reported in which relations of semantic distance to response latencies in similarity judgments, to reaction times in a same-different classification task, and to proximity of recall in a free recall task were investigated. (Author/RM)

In secondary-task reading experiments, easy text filled cognitive capacity more completely than difficult text. A cognitive interpretation is that, in reading easy passages, the cognitive processors are full. But in difficult passages, frequent breakdowns in comprehension temporarily empty processor spaces, leaving cognitive capacity for the…

Three experiments examined the relationship between reading skill and decoding. Children decoded and matched words and pseudowords of different syllable lengths presented in both aural and printed form. Prior verbal experience was manipulated. Decoding differences were not wholly attributable to prior experience with word units, as processes…

Vocalization latencies of young readers were a function of set size, number of syllables, and stimulus material. Differences between skilled and less skilled readers were absent for naming colors, digits, and pictures, but present for words; differences increased with number of syllables (and letters). Reading skill and decoding are discussed.…

Ten nursery school children who knew how to count but were unacquainted with arithmetic were taught a simple algorithm for solving single-digit addition problems and were then given extended practice. The reaction time on the final block of extended practice suggested that subjects had invented a more efficient procedure to replace the original…

This research was concerned with the way people identify and categorize letters and digits; the author attempted to answer which of these processes occurs first, with the focus on whether there is a logically determined sequence involved. (Author/RK)

Three studies are described in which choice reaction time (RT) was related to such psychometric ability measures as verbal comprehension, numerical reasoning, hidden figures, and progressive matrices tests. Fairly consistent negative correlations were found between these tests and choice RT when high school samples were used. (Author/CTM)

Given the currently numerous applications of word-nonword classification tasks in psychological research, the present study was designed to determine the relative influences of a large number of potentially important variables on response time in tasks of this sort. (Author/NCR)

Three experiments (simple versus choice reaction time, Posner letter identification, and Sternberg memory scanning) attempted to determine whether reliable individual differences in cognitive processing exist in children and, if so, whether these differences are systematically related to age and ability. (Author/JMB)

Results show that nonstandard and Hawaiian English speakers' comprehension was easier and more accurate with the nonstandard than the standard English stories and the standard English speakers' comprehension was easier and more accurate with the standard than the nonstandard English stories. (Author/DEP)

Using a modified Posner "encoding function" methodology, group differences in semantic encoding speed were assessed under conditions in which subjects encoded pictures of common objects to determine physical identity matches, name identity matches, and superordinate identity matches. Results of primary interest revealed group differences in basic…

Speeded cognitive processing tasks involving card sorting and reaction time were administered to 141 young adults aged 18 to 33 and to 142 elderly adults aged 58 to 73. Confirmatory factor analysis was unsuccessful, but independent analyses revealed different factors for the two age groups. (Author/GDC)

The slower progress of semantic memory research is attributed to the difficulties involved in testing the relevant theories. This paper proposes a model for testing such theories using the Continuous Response (CR) task. The model establishes a link between the rate of recall and the semantic relationships among the category items. (JAZ)

The purpose of this study was to test a specific hypothesis with regard to how cloze retrieval takes place once semantic constraints are recognized. Results from human subjects and computer simulation suggested that increase in latency between the two- and three-semantic-constraint conditions was not artifactual. (JAZ)

To assess the effects of timed/untimed testing conditions on intelligence scores, high school students were assigned to an intelligence test under either conditions and subsequently to a battery of eight reaction time tests. Results showed that subjects scores were related to the speed with which they processed information. (JAZ)