Discussion of information retrieval performance evaluation focuses on a case study using a statistical repeated measures analysis of variance for testing the significance of factors, such as retrieval method and topic in retrieval performance variation. Analyses of the effect of query expansion on document ranking confirm that expansion affects…

Provided 2- and 2.5-year-olds with partial visual information about a ball's path as it moved toward a hiding place. Found that both age groups were equally proficient at tracking the ball as it rolled behind a transparent screen with 4 opaque doors, but 2.5-year-olds were more likely to reach to the correct door when asked to find the ball.…

Describes how high school and college tennis coaches can prepare their athletes for competitive success, noting factors involved in performance excellence and presenting the BADGE instructional framework, which teaches players that their efforts are the greatest single influence upon future results. The paper explains the importance of positive…

To assess children's understanding of intentions as distinct from desires, this study presented 3- to 7-year-olds and adults with situations in which intentions were satisfied but desires were not, or vice versa, in a story-comprehension task and target-hitting game. Findings indicated that younger children were unable to differentiate desires and…

This study examined the hypothesis that group size can influence whether 9- to 10-year-olds display self-assertive versus self-deprecating responses to interpersonal competition, especially under stress. Findings indicated that individuals displayed more assertive behaviors during competitive game-playing in groups than in dyads, and more…

Examined influence of newly acquired information on 5- to 7-year-olds' memory and general representation of a personally experienced novel event. Found that advance information specific to the event led to better recall and better integration of the experience into a general event representation both soon after the event and 4 months later.…

Thirty-five learning-disabled readers (mean age 10) and 43 controls were compared on a sentence span task and on recall of everyday features, consequential events, and misleading information. Results indicated that subjects were deficient on working memory and naturalistic measures, but their naturalistic memory deficits did not appear to relate…

Discusses job aids as a method to improve human performance by replacing the requirement for a specific skill or knowledge. Types of job aids are described, the role of job aids in training is explained, job aid design is examined, and benefits of job aids are discussed. (10 references) (LRW)

A series of three studies found that increased age was associated with lower levels of performance on tests of spatial visualization by unselected adults and adults with extensive spatial visualization experience. Age-related effects for some aspects of cognitive functioning may be independent of experiential influences. (RH)

Discussion of the role of small group performance focuses on solving problems to improve performance. Types of tasks and their effects on groups are described; group resources are discussed; factors affecting group process are explained; and a flowchart for solving group performance problems is presented. (LRW)

A total of 80 Israeli 5, 7, and 10 year olds working in either a match-the-standard or a competitive condition copied a drawing and then evaluated their copies. Competing 5 year olds overestimated the quality of their copies. With age, self-assessments became less positive and better correlated with adult judgments. (RH)

Assessed preschoolers' strategic knowledge concerning the relative effectiveness of increasing memory performance by marking, touching, looking, and ignoring. Ignoring was judged the least effective behavior by children of three-five years. A preference for looking, touching, and marking was found for five-year-olds in both experiments and for…

Children between the ages of three and six years were asked to predict their success or failure in two tasks, each of which had five difficulty levels. Tasks were presented either simultaneously or successively. Results indicated that children made realistic assessments of their chances for success at the difficulty levels. Performance factors are…

Responses from 195 staff nurses indicated that impact of leader's behavior was neutralized among low self-monitoring nurses, but intensified among high self-monitors. Correlations between staff nurses' job performance and their ratings of head nurses' leadership behaviors were not significant for low self-monitoring nurses but were significant for…

Lists the training themes and levels of intervention of a psychological orienteering project for Swiss athletes. Presents an outline for preparation and evaluation of team or individual performance over time on technical, physical, mental, and environmental aspects of orienteering. (SV)