Memory is the primary mechanism of modern education. Despite memory's importance in other ways, it is not the primary tool for solving problems, making theories or plotting courses of action. Students should be taught how to separate trivial from important information by using critical judgments, ethical standards, and logic. (MLW)

Describes a series of microcomputer-based laboratory exercises that are designed to assist undergraduate students in acquiring basic psychological concepts in memory retention. Mnemonics used in the exercises are explained, and computer-generated tabular and graphic displays designed for use in classroom demonstrations are described. (Author/LRW)

Explores how well measures of verbal short-term memory and naming speed tasks predict children's reading achievement under various IQ control conditions. Both were effective, but when controlling for verbal IQ, memory measures are less reliable, whereas digit-naming speed remains a significant predictor of reading achievement. (MM)

The learning of a list of 20 Blissymbols and comparable American Sign Language signs by 121 nonhandicapped undergraduate psychology students was compared. Blissymbols were learned significantly faster than manual signs, particularly in early learning trials. Results are discussed in terms of the memory requirements of the two systems. (Author/JDD)

First and fifth graders participated in this assessment of ways in which differential experience with objects in a spatial array might establish relative landmarks within the array. Results suggest that different levels of experience can establish elements as relative landmarks in spatial memory. (Author/RWB)

Two experiments look at factors influencing the ways children construct an abstract representation of story structure that contains the characteristics described by story grammars. (RWB)

Summarizes a report which attempted to determine the usefulness of various human potential technologies in military training programs. Includes information on sleep learning, accelerated learning, mental practice, biofeedback, group cohesion, split-brain effects, altered mental states, influence strategies, and parapsychology. (TW)

Spelling problems arise due to problems with form discrimination and inadequate visualization. A child's sequence of visual development involves learning motor control and coordination, with vision directing and monitoring the movements; learning visual comparison of size, shape, directionality, and solidity; developing visual memory or recall;…

Administered Bem Sex-Role Inventory to high school students, and asked how they wanted to be remembered. Found a gender role by remembrance preference interaction. Masculine subjects chose "athletic star" more than did feminine or androgynous subjects, who selected "most popular" and "leader in activities" more frequently. All groups chose…

Examines research which suggests that children's developing knowledge about traditional gender roles has a substantial influence on how children process information pertaining to gender. Evidence also shows that as children attain gender constancy, their behaviors become especially responsive to gender-related information. (Author/RWB)

Reports two experiments showing a possible developmental shift from memory organization based on associative criteria to an organization based on categorical criteria. Children in first, fourth, and seventh grades were given a sort/recall task with items that could be organized into groups of categorical or associative pairs. (Author/CB)

This study was designed to explore relations among reading skills, metareading, memory, and metamemory. Interactions among these skills were investigated as related to reading ability, operativity, and grade level. The effects of experience, operativity, and metacognition on reading and memory skills were discussed. (Author/DWH)

Three studies explore the development of discrimination and memory for symmetry in preschoolers four to six years of age. Issues addressed include the young child's ability to discriminate and reproduce symmetry, and the effects of pattern orientation and complexity on the young child's symmetry discrimination and reproduction. Results indicate…

Investigates the effects of acoustic similarity on memory span in 112 children four to 10 years of age. Acoustic similarity had progressively more effect on recall with increasing age. Implications for current theories of short-term memory and its development and for the use of acoustic similarity as an indicator of speech coding are discussed.…

This study examined the effects of undergraduate students' cognitive style on short term recall of content information from still projected visuals of different sizes (full, one half, one quarter frame) and types (paintings, photographs, line drawings). No significant differences in the mean scores of field dependent and independent subjects was…