This paper addresses several issues concerning the nature of imitative acts and the conditions under which they take place. These issues include: (1) the separation of imitative acts from reinforced behavior; (2) the separation of true imitative acts from reflexive acts; (3) the separation of imitative acts from acts which normally have a high…

The effects of requiring an overt or covert response to objectives when grouped before or interspersed throughout a text were investigated for intentional and incidental learning. In addition, two densities of specific and general objectives were investigated. (Author/BW)

The humor element as a reinforcing tool was examined. Experimental group subjects selecting nouns were shown humorous cartoons. Non-noun selection was followed by a humorless cartoon. Results indicated that humor significantly facilitated intentional learning for the low-creative experimental group. (Author/BEF)

A conceptualization of intentional behavior is presented stressing the problem of diagnosis. Methodological requirements for the study of intentional memory development are used in a selective review of the literature. (MS)

Examines the implications of the term "goal directed," or "intentional behavior," in the context of instructional design strategies. Models developed by Piaget and Vygotsky regarding development and learning are reviewed; intentionality and situated activities are discussed and examples given; and principles regarding…

This article describes a case study of an educational organization, the Big Picture Company, trying to implement a highly unusual school design. It offers a close look at its professional development strategies and how its comprehensive program helps create a culture where teachers can, and do, learn. I detail five professional development…

The authors have been engaged in research focused on students' depth of learning as well as teachers' efforts to foster deep learning. Findings from a study examining the teaching practices and student learning outcomes of sixty-four teachers in seventeen different states (Smith et al. 2005) indicated that most of the learning in these classrooms…

The paper reports on a study of Braille learning in which subjects (N=96) were provided with information about the structure of the Braille alphabet and expressly instructed to use that information during learning. A previous experiment had found that merely providing subjects with information about Braille alphabet structure had no effect on…

The result of an investigation to establish evidence that trained gifted children, ages 8 to 11, would draw more realistically than untrained gifted children showed a significant difference between experimental and control groups and a significant interaction between age and treatment. (Author/PN)

Four models of learning are described and a system for adapting to a child's preferred learning style is presented. (SB)

Prior experience learning often requires new and different kinds of measurement techniques. Methods are described that have been developed to identify and assess the prior experiential learning of adult women from their unpaid work in the home and the community. (Author/PN)

Describes this special double issue, which presents work on the topic of volition related to education. "Volition" entails plans to sustain motivation and implement goals, along with strategic regulation of cognition and affect in the completion of tasks. The first issue presents a theoretical overview of volition, and the second…

From the cognitive model of multimedia learning proposed by [Schnotz, W., & Barnett, M. (2003). Construction and interference in learning from multiple representation. "Learning and Instruction, 13", 141-156], two hypotheses regarding the learning of spatial arrangements of objects were derived: the integration hypothesis and the multiple source…

Recall of the spatial location of objects in four object arrays was studied with subjects ranging in age between 5 and 23 years. Using pictorial materials, the procedure focused on the variation with age of conditions which affect recall of the objects and their location. (GO)