Timing sensitivity (awareness of rhythm of lapsed time), age, and sex were studied as possible predictors of success in hearing adults' learning of sign language. The results of school evaluations revealed that younger hearing adults with a sensitivity for timing learned sign language faster than did other adults. (PMJ)

Three experiments were conducted to explore the effect of word training on interference patterns in the picture-word task. Subjects were first and second graders. (MP)

Examines interrelations among measures of memory in order to determine whether individual differences in 8- to 11-year-old children's performance on learning and memory tasks may be attributable to a general strategic factor. (CM)

Describes a test designed to measure outcomes of "inquiry" social studies programs in elementary schools. Results indicate that inquiry students, or those whose teachers use inductive methods to encourage active participation in learning, perform better than noninquiry students on tasks requiring higher cognitive processes. (Author/KC)

Mnemonic value of spellings in a paired-associate sound learning task was examined in first and second graders. Learning was fastest when correct spellings were seen or imagined. The preferred interpretation was that spellings are effective because they provide readers with orthographic images for symbolizing and storing sounds in memory.…

In a study of style of learning and thinking (hemisphericity) as it relates to scores on creativity tests, 28 graduate students were studied. (Author/PHR)

The way in which knowledge of a given topic influences the acquisition of topic-related information was studied with the knowledge domain of baseball. A knowledge structure was postulated that included the goal structure as well as the states and actions of the game. (SW)

The way in which previously acquired knowledge affects the processing on new domain-related information was investigated. Text processing was studied in two groups differing in knowledge of the domain of baseball. A knowledge structure for the domain was constructed, and text propositions were classified. (SW)

The notion that a prerequisite for asking questions about new topic matter is some appropriate level of knowledge was tested. Learners with two levels of background knowledge using learning material with two levels of difficulty were studied. (SW)

Statistical analysis indicates that a note-taking group performed significantly better overall than a no-notes group on both an immediate and a delayed quiz although both groups showed a significant decline in performance in the latter quiz. (JMF)

The article reports on an intervention procedure designed to initiate reading in a ten-year-old mentally retarded girl assessed as a 'zero reader'. (PHR)

Reports on a study which sought to identify and examine the effects of certain learning strategies--practice, monitoring, and inferencing--on second language learning. (AM)

From a review of empirical research, a new theoretical synthesis of anxiety's effect on learning and memory is proposed: anxiety always reduces processing effectiveness, by generating task-irrelevant processing activities, but this will not impair performance efficiency if sufficient compensatory effort is expended. (SJL)

This study utilized the instructional methods of discovery teaching and expository presentation to investigate the concept development of students in a remedial college chemistry class. Results indicate that the two sets of instructional materials did not lead to the same understanding of the concept. (BT)

The results of this study indicate that tobacco smoking may have a deleterious effect on the learning process. Those Ss who smoked in excess of 12 cigarettes per day did significantly less well, as a group, than nonsmokers and light smokers on three of the four learning tests. (Editor)