"Culture" needs no sharpening. It works well as a global term, designating the many diverse material and ideational phenomena that social scientists traditionally perceive as culture. Pleas and attempts to define culture anew, however well-meaning and creative, are irrelevant to the conduct of cross-cultural research. (Author)

Discusses techniques used by reading researchers to derive "operational definitions" of reading phenomena. (FL)

Contends that the terms "telecommunications,""broadcasting," and "mass communication" subsume journalism as but one element. Illustrates differences by the way the terms are treated legally. (PD)

The authors assert that progress in conceptualizing learning disabilities and related intervention procedures is dependent on systematic, consistent, and educationally grounded theory, and that each practitioner should adopt a system and use it consistently. A cognitive-field model is illustrated and its use as a foundation for educating LD…

The triarchic theory of intellectual giftedness asserts that intelligence must be understood in terms of three aspects: the internal world of the individual, the external world of the individual, and the interface between these two as it unfolds through experience. The theory is explained through the profiles of three graduate students. (Author/CL)

The current literature is replete with instances of imprecise and conflicting usage of "qualitative" and "quantitative" evaluation. This paper presents a framework for making distinctions among several related concepts to eliminate this potential source of confusion. In the process, the terms "qualitative" and…

Timeout, a behavior reduction technique used with handicapped and nonhandicapped persons, is defined; its parameters (including warning, duration, and timeout schedule) are reviewed; and its procedural aspects (including preconditions and concurrent interventions) are considered. Five basic types are placed along a continuum of restrictiveness.…

Discusses the characteristics, limitations, uses, and programing features of the Radio Shack Model 100, one of the first truly portable personal computers, and describes how it differs from a "transportable" computer in weight, size, and features. (MBR)

Provides overview of dictionary publication in United States from Noah Webster's "A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language" (1806) to "Webster's Third New International Dictionary" (1961). Competition between Webster and Joseph Worcester, additional publication challenges to Webster's popularity, and practices in…

A reaction to the review of replicated findings concerning stuttering cites disagreement with the definition of stuttering used and notes implications for findings on treatment, clinical effects, recovery, stutterer-nonstutterer differences, and theory. (CL)

Aptitude test performance of 300 sixth graders compared with measures of intelligence, creativity, and task commitment (J. Renzulli's definition of giftedness) showed that strict application of Renzulli's definition resulted in identification of a small number of students. Totally different children were identified by verbal as opposed to figural…

Results of an experiment to establish an operational definition of "silent letter" suggest that a silent letter is one that, when added to graphic syllable, makes no difference to its pronunciation. This finding contradicts the theory that silent speech occurs in silent reading. (CMG)

Bearing in mind that the regular readers of this journal are for the most part non-sociologists, this article provided an explanation of the nature of sociology. (Editor/RK)

Deals with the study of movements and proposes a specifically rhetorical definition of movements that combines elements of other definitions with original theoretical extension. (MH)

The meaning of words used in biology is discussed and a number of pitfalls for students are listed. The use of the words nucleus, transformation, toxin and sex in a number of textbooks is examined. (Author/EB)