Examination of the effect of a manual interference task on deaf and hearing college students' written free recall revealed that the task had a small adverse effect on deaf students' recall. Deaf students' reading levels were very strongly related to their level of word recall. (61 references) (Author/CB)

Thirty-two primary school children were evaluated on their problem-solving ability and attention level, immediately following either an aerobic exercise or a passive activity. Results indicated that physical activity of moderate intensity enhanced problem-solving performance; the two hyperactive children improved their ability to stay on task,…

The study investigated two neurophysiologic components of event-related brain potential during auditory and visual target detection tasks with 11 non-retarded autistic children, 9 retarded autistic children, and 16 normal subjects, aged 15-19. Results were consistent with the hypothesis that non-retarded autism involves abnormal attentional and…

Examines the hypothesis that problem comprehension and computational processes interact during the solving of arithmetic word problems. Results suggest the absence of any interaction between the two processes. Questions the notion that automatized retrieval facilitates problem solving, as well as assertions suggesting that increasing computational…

Studied the ability of 8- and 11-year olds, and college-age subjects, to allocate attention rapidly. Older subjects were better able to reallocate attention. The developmental change in the reallocation of attention appears to be continuous and quantitative. Improvement is linked to the ability to use active attentional strategies. (Author/GH)

Toddlers with Down's syndrome (n=42) were presented with situations in which the primary focus alternated between an object stimulus and a social stimulus. The experimental subjects monitored their environment in the same manner as did the 25 control subjects (matched for mental age) during object mastery but had a more focused attention style…

Visual accents can create unique communication graphics to increase attending behavior necessary for learning symbol/referent relationships by students with severe vision loss. Accenting procedures use size, color, contrast, shape, and graphic pattern to enhance the probability that the learner will self-initiate attending to the visual symbol.…

Comparison of handicapped junior high school students (N=11) mainstreamed in low achieving classes with their nonhandicapped classmates found significant differences in the observed behaviors of discussion and not paying attention but no differences in teacher ratings of classroom behavior or report card grades. (Author/DB)

Twenty-three autistic children and 23 nonautistic children completed an attention battery comprising continuous performance tests, a digit-cancellation task, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Tests, and two computerized tests of shifting attention. Children with autism could focus on a particular stimulus and sustain this focus and could shift their…

This article presents two case examples to demonstrate how teachers can use functional behavioral assessment (FBA) to design behavior support plans. FBA helps a second grade "class clown" to learn new ways to get attention and a first grade "class lawyer" to learn to stop arguing and stay on task (with the help of an electronic record keeping…

A double-blind, placebo-controlled study examined effects of methylphenidate (Ritalin) on auditory processing in 32 children with both attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and central auditory processing (CAP) disorder. Analyses revealed that Ritalin did not have a significant effect on any of the central auditory processing measures, although…

Library media specialists need to embrace brain research and implement its findings into the teaching of information literary skills. Research in the past two decades has used imaging techniques to allow the study of brain functions when listening to music versus composing a song or when recalling a noun or verb. Imaging allows researchers to look…

This study adds to the growing literature linking children's experiences in the environment to individual differences in their developing skills in attention, memory, and planning. The authors asked about the extent to which stimulating and sensitive care in the family and in the child-care or school environments would predict these cognitive…

Investigates how the use of think-aloud protocols, both concurrent and retrospective, can contribute to the study of the role of attention in second language acquisition. The study is based on analysis of think-aloud protocols produced by 74 first-year learners of Spanish during and immediately after a reading and multiple-choice activity.…

To effectively reduce overselective attention, a fine-grained analysis of the control exhibited by compound training cues is first needed. Computer software was developed in this study to administer two different stimulus control-testing procedures to assess how three young children of normal development and three adolescents with severe mental…