Mistakes related to the operation of nuclear power plants and other technologically complex systems are discussed. Recommendations are given for decreasing the chance of human error in the operation of nuclear plants. The causes of the Three Mile Island incident are presented in terms of the human error element. (SA)

The author discusses the use of calculators in calculus classes and difficulties caused by roundoff errors. References for advanced follow-up topics are given. (Author/MK)

The study investigated word-finding skills in 30 learning disabled (LD) boys (ages 8-to-11-years). Ss were administered measures designed to explore word-finding ability in three stimulus contexts for high- and low-frequency words.

Five types of errors in an information-processing classification are discussed: language difficulties; difficulties in obtaining spatial information; deficient mastery of prerequisite skills, facts, and concepts; incorrect associations; and application of irrelevant rules. (MP)

In an experiment using single-word items, subjects are run under three different speed-accuracy trade-off conditions. A competition model would predict that when subjects are forced to respond quickly, there will be an increase in errors, and these will be from recent past items. The prediction was confirmed. (CHK)

This study compared 3- and 5-year-olds' reports of a true or false play interaction following repeated interviews. Findings indicated age-related improvements in performance. Three-year-olds questioned repeatedly about a false event made more errors in response to specific questions than their age-mates questioned about false details of a true…

Eighty-two elementary school children with attention deficit disorder (ADD) and dyslexia made more errors than 83 normally reading children with ADD on a test of rhyme and alliteration. A subgroup of dyslexic children who were sensitive to rhyme and alliteration scored higher than other dyslexic children on a test of spatial ability. (Author/DB)

Finds that 44 seventh graders in an American Indian boarding school responded successfully to about half the scenarios on the modified Decision Making Instrument, had similar success rates for scenarios with health or social foci, but showed different patterns of error for health and social decisions. Contains 19 references. (SV)

An analytical technique is reviewed that allows a researcher to decompose informant reports into their respective trait, informant bias, and measure specificity using LISREL. The technique is illustrated in a study of decision making in 151 police agencies. (SLD)

Undergraduates listened to a list of words and nonwords. They then listened to a list of items, some of which contained phonemic variations of items in the first list, and stated whether items had been presented previously. Subjects made more recognition errors to items that had phonemic variations occurring near the beginning rather than the end…

Identifies types and distributions of errors in text produced by optical character recognition (OCR) and proposes a process using machine learning techniques to recognize and correct errors in OCR texts. Results of experiments indicating that this strategy can reduce human interaction required for error correction are reported. (25 references)…

Discussed are the mathematical methods for detecting a variety of common error patterns within the bar-coded identification numbers utilized in conjunction with scanning devices. Schemes for the use of check digits are examined that ensure conditions for detecting errors of specific types, including single digit error, transposition error, twin…

An analysis of 41 recently published articles in the "American Journal on Mental Retardation" and the "Journal of Mental Deficiency Research" found a higher than expected probability of Type I research errors, suggesting that approximately 20 percent of the statistically significant results may be erroneous. (DB)

This paper discusses the speech monitoring process that underlies overt self-repairing of speech errors; the covert repair hypothesis, dealing particularly with explaining the variety of disfluency types from a restricted set of repair principles; quantitative and qualitative characteristics of disfluency in people who stutter; and the covert…

Two experiments explored the tongue-twister paradigm, which involves reciting a word string several times over at a fast rate, using a task variation that minimizes articulatory and mnemonic load. The task was found to elicit good rates of "pure" articulatory errors. Two features had a significant error-reducing effect: repeated…