Four pursuit-tracking experiments were conducted in an attempt to replicate with adults, Hockey's findings that loud noise increases attentional selectivity. Neither attentional selectivity nor masking of auditory feedback was found to be significant. For Hockey's reply and the authors' rejoinder, see p499-506 of this issue. (SJL)

Discussed is the college teacher as lecturer. Three basic areas are looked at: attention mechanisms, information processing, and memory. Nine suggestions are presented which, if employed, will improve the lecture process. (KC)

Binaural and dichotic tasks of varying complexity were given to seven- and nine-year-old children to investigate the interaction of laterality and selective attention. (JMB)

An open-ended interview and a series of multiple-choice questions probing children's concepts of attention were administered to 80 children in grades l, 3, and 5. Results showed that with increased age, the children's emphasis on external factors (such as noise level) as attentional determinants decreased while their emphasis on psychological…

There is the common assumption that the viewing of aggressive films can "facilitate" aggression in individuals who are predisposed to act aggressively. Questions the validity of that belief through an examination of methodology. (Author/RK)

The processing-capacity and arousal-level effects on choice between computer-generated "melodies" differing in complexity were compared in a divided-attention situation. (Editor)

Examined in two studies the moderating effect of perceptual load on visual selective attention. Found that children's performance was as efficient as adults' under conditions of high but not low loads, suggesting that early selection engages rapidly maturing neural systems and late selection engages later-maturing systems. The onset of early…

Describes an assessment and intervention approach that was added to a more traditional evaluation procedure to treat the attention deficits of a boy of 2 1/2 years who had mild cerebral palsy. (RJC)

Precision teaching techniques can be used to chart students' attention span or endurance. Individual differences in attention span can then be better understood and dealt with effectively. The effects of performance duration on performance level, on error rates, and on learning rates are discussed. Implications for classroom practice are noted.…

Assessed development of auditory selective attention using event-related brain potentials (ERPs) and behavioral measures. Subjects heard tones or consonant-vowel sequences to detect deviant targets. Found that Nd difference (ERP difference between unattended and attended standard) showed effect of selective attention. For both tones and…

This study investigated whether specific academic deficits were associated with attention-deficit disorder subtypes (with or without hyperactivity) with 40 elementary students. Results support the hypothesis that inattention exerts a specific and deleterious effect on the acquisition of arithmetic-computation skills. Implications for ADHD…

This study compared efforts to regain their infants' visual attention of 40 mothers (either deaf or hearing) and 40 9-month-old infants (either deaf or hearing). Findings indicated a greater reliance by deaf mothers on visual strategies to regain infant attention and a greater emphasis on vocalizations by hearing mothers, regardless of infant…

Two experiments investigated factors affecting joint visual attention in 12- and 18-month-olds. Findings indicated that parental pointing at objects elicited more episodes of joint visual attention than looking alone. Although infants most reliably followed gestures to targets in front of them, even 12-month-olds followed gestures to targets…

This study, with 17 young adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 62 without ADHD, found no significant correlations between full scale IQ and scores on the Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA). However, analysis of variance revealed that subjects with ADHD made more errors of omission on the TOVA than did controls.…

Attention processes in 103 children and adults with high functioning autism were compared with a matched control group using a battery of attention measures. Differences were found only on tasks which placed demands on cognitive flexibility or psychomotor speed, suggesting that purported attention deficits in autism may actually be primary…