Examined contextual factors influencing fourth- to sixth-graders' dislike for aggressors and their victims, by varying aggressor's and victim's behavior in scenarios describing camp experiences. Found that children disliked aggressors the most, followed by victims, and by other children in the scenarios. Aggressors were liked more if their victim…

Three studies examined development of the perception of temporally unidirectional transformation, such as dropping blocks, with 3.5- to 6.5-year-olds who compared forward and backward videotapes of events or made individual judgments of what would happen if action were attempted. Findings indicated that even 3.5- to 4.5-year-olds recognized the…

Three studies examined preschoolers' performance on free labeling of prototypical facial expressions of basic emotions. Findings indicated that children's errors remained even when method factors (poor stimuli, unavailability of an appropriate label, or production task difficulty) were controlled. Use of emotion labels increased with age…

Three experiments introduced 2- and 3-year-olds to novel adjectives either using full noun phrases and describing multiple familiar objects sharing a salient property or describing nouns of vague reference. Found that both groups mapped novel adjectives onto object properties when given taxonomically specific nouns with rich referential and…

In this study, 24 individuals (ages 6-37) with down syndrome had to learn a symbolic conditional discrimination task. Participants showed better terminal accuracy and faster learning of the task when the alternative correct responses were each followed by unique different outcomes than when nondifferential outcomes were arranged. (Contains…

A study involving 80 undergraduates with deafness enrolled in first-year algebra courses found students were more likely to miscomprehend a relational statement and commit a reversal error when the required arithmetic operation was inconsistent with the statement's relational term. Reading ability influenced performance, and errors decreased as…

This study compared the performance of depressed and nondepressed males (ages 9-11) on tasks requiring overt rehearsal and free recall. The depressed children rehearsed less both in repetition of words and in the size of their rehearsal sets and recalled fewer words. It is concluded that depressed children have short-term memory processing…

The employment outcomes of 1,550 developmentally disabled individuals receiving supported employment services through 96 local programs in 8 states were analyzed. Results indicated that all groups of individuals, regardless of their primary disability, benefited from supported employment participation, especially those individuals receiving…

The academic benefits of grade retention are doubtful. Researchers have found that a low percentage of retained students achieve at a higher rate and that many regress. Parents should request a multidisciplinary evaluation before allowing a child to be retained. (JD)

Despite clear evidence of decrements in performance over time coupled with a substantially greater perceptual sensitivity deficit in 10 hyperactive children compared to controls, the hyperactive group demonstrated no greater performance deficit with time on task. Results failed to support the hypothesis of a sustained attention deficit in…

Use of Sentence Verification Technique (SVT) reading comprehension tests as general and specific predictors of learning performance in college courses was studied in experiments with 119 and 138 students attending Westfield State College (Massachusetts). Results suggest that appropriate SVT tests can predict general performance and performance in…

Focused on (1) the effect of mother-child interaction during a problem-solving task on subsequent, independent child performance; and (2) the variability in the division of task responsibilities and maternal regulation of the child as a function of task difficulty, child age, and task component. Participants were 60 three to five year olds and…

Measures the relationship between developmental maturity and performance on a test of reading readiness. Finds no significant difference in performance between boys and girls or between older and younger children. Concludes that reading readiness is in large measure determined by the nature of the reading program. (RS)

In an effort to explain gender differences in Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores, a study tested the effects of changing time limits and directions (standard and non-standard) on performance of academically talented males and females on the math and verbal test sections. Several potentially explanatory patterns were found. (MSE)

Four experiments with 263 undergraduates and 57 seventh-graders examined the "testing phenomenon" in relation to students' memory for brief passages and labels for parts of flowers. The phenomenon, which involves the positive effects of previous testing on final test performance, appears to depend on several complete retrieval events. (TJH)