The author attempts to (1) sensitize teachers to the difficulties of teaching adults, (2) review components of the learning process, and (3) give a prospectus for an adult learning theory and supportive instructional theory and strategies that enable classroom teachers to reach every adult learner in the class. (CH)

Identified and described diversity in modes of retirement adaptation using 24 individual interviews. Comparisons among analyses yielded four distinct ways of conceptualizing and experiencing retirement--as a transition to old age, as a new beginning, as a continuation of preretirement life structure, and as an imposed disruption. Features of these…

Used a model of individual response to catastrophic events to analyze data from survivors of the Beverly Hills Supper Club fire of 1977. The most predictable symptoms at 1 year were associated with stress disorders. Overall, up to 45 percent of outcome variance 1-year postfire could be explained by individuals' experiences surrounding the fire.…

Interview results indicated terminally ill patients with knowledge produced significantly longer transcripts than others. Groups did not differ significantly on state or trait anxiety scales. There were significant associations involving age, anxiety, and the dependent variables of the content analysis, especially among terminally ill patients…

Habituation to single female faces and to single geometric patterns was observed separately in two groups of infants who participated in two sessions separated by 10 days. Habituation was found to be distributed into three patterns and showed moderate but significant reliability between assessment sessions. (Author/RH)

The study examined the WISC-R (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised) profiles of 26 intellectually gifted students with respect to idiographic and normative variability in performance between scales and among subtests. Results indicated (even among highly homogeneous ability groups) significant variability in performance, reflecting…

Studies 12- to 24-month-olds in a series of videotaped tasks assessing single object manipulation, relational play, pretend play, distractibility and persistence. Develops eight relatively subtle measures of three aspects of individual differences in infant behavior: developmental level, attention span, and exploratory diversity. (Author/NH)

Delay/response inhibition in the presence of an attractive stimulus and compliance with maternal directives in a clean-up task were observed among subjects 18, 24, and 30 months of age. Results suggested (1) achievement of self-control is a major developmental accomplishment, and (2) individual differences in self-control emerge and are…

Several criticisms of Bandura's "reciprocal determinism" are offered: the unidirectional causal account works in cases cited by Bandura; Mackie's criticism of Russell's view of causation also applies to Bandura; and "reciprocal determinism" is a misleading expression when stressing person/environment interactions. (Author/BW)

In their analysis of reciprocal determinism, Phillips and Orton (TM 509 061) mistakenly assume that behavior, cognitive and other personal factors, and environmental events operate as a simultaneous wholistic interaction. Contrary to this belief, the interactants in triadic reciprocality work their mutual effects sequentially over variable time…

Determines whether there is a basis for substance usage treatment program stratification according to adolescent subpopulation categories. Findings reveal that while demographic features are important in predicting substance involvement among youngsters, support for development of separate programs designed to affect them is lacking. (Author/ABL)

Discusses how children learn to share, gives three examples of children's sharing behavior, and raises issues concerning the teaching of sharing skills. (RH)

Challenges the notion that long-term memory retrieval efficiency is a potential source of individual and developmental differences in cognitive functioning. Fourth-grade, eighth-grade, and college-aged subjects participated in a task using the Posner letter matching paradigm and were assessed with tests of verbal and spatial ability. (Author/CB)

Compared the responses of 496 severely ill adults and 297 healthy persons concerning the threat of loss of life or bodily integrity. Results indicated that ill people expressed more concern with both types of threat. Each type of loss was associated with a different set of psychological states. (JAC)

Surveyed 56 psychiatrists, 173 psychologists, and 282 social workers to examine similarities and differences in their personal and moral values. Results suggested the three groups shared a common core of personal values. Regarding moral values, psychiatrists and psychologists emphasized duty while social workers emphasized personal freedom. (JAC)