Describes several approaches to the development of performance indicators for evaluating the effectiveness of safety training in the nuclear power industry. A rationale is presented for a method of generating measures of effectiveness that uses criteria developed by several experts with different viewpoints, and the benefits of this method are…

Supervisors and coworkers of 98 persons with mental retardation rated subjects' overall job performance and social interaction and their performance in specific social situations. Results suggest that both task-related and non-task-related social skills make unique and relatively equal contributions to supervisors' and coworkers' perceptions of a…

Acquisition of novel words by kindergarten children (eight with normal language and eight with specific language impairment) was examined under various linguistic input conditions. Acquisition of novel words by both groups was significantly affected by alterations in speaking rate and the use of gestures accompanying spoken language. There were no…

This study of 46 women with the fragile X gene and 56 controls found that performance on emotion perception and perspective-taking tasks was related to full-scale IQ scores but not to fragile X group status when effects of IQ were removed. Results represent a differentiation between fragile X and autism. (Author/JDD)

Examined the effects of age and experience on visual-cognitive performance using a domain-relevant visual search task and a standard letter search task with skilled and control subjects at two age levels. Although young and middle-aged skilled subjects performed equally well on the domain-relevant task, skilled subjects showed an age deficit in…

This study of 44 children in grades 4 and 5 found that children with learning disabilities (LD) required more time than nondisabled students to achieve 100 percent accuracy on a short learning unit and retained less factual content. LD students who did not spend adequate time in learning dropped more dramatically in achievement than nondisabled…

Seven adults with severe to profound mental retardation participated in match-to-sample discrimination training under three conditions. Results indicated that error-correction procedures improve performance through negative reinforcement; that error correction may serve multiple functions; and that, for some subjects, trial repetition enhances…

This study examined the relationship between (1) sex and family size of 33 siblings of autistic children; and (2) siblings' performance on achievement, self-concept, home behavior, and school behavior measures. Overall, the siblings' performance was not suggestive of a need for special intervention. (Author/JDD)

Relations between attendance in stable high quality day care programs and grade school behavior and performance were determined in two studies of elementary school children. Found that time in quality infant care was significantly related to positive social behavior and higher academic achievement. (GLR)

Completion and performance data were examined from 92 junior high gifted students in a summer mathematics enrichment program. Variables significantly distinguishing between drop-outs and completers were instructor's rating of the student, parental occupation, and school year (seventh or eighth grade). Gender, ethnic group, school grade average,…

Provides the transcript of an interview with Dr. Lev Landa that addressed issues related to his algorithmico-heuristic theories of learning and instruction, called Landamatics. Highlights include teaching thinking versus knowledge; algorithms; instructional design; improving training and performance in industry, business, and government;…

This paper, which introduces the theme issue, examines the concept of children "at risk" and proposes a framework which includes not only risk but also opportunity factors in child behavior and development. A table presents 30 variables influencing human development and functioning, with associated risk and opportunity factors. (DB)

This article reviews research on the revision component of the writing process with hearing and hearing-impaired or deaf students. Special issues to consider in hearing-impaired children's revision include variability of the deaf population, level of writing skill, level of reading skill, and student response to revision. (JDD)

This comparison of the performance of 40 congenitally blind children (ages 9-19) with and without retrolental fibroplasia on cognitive and spatial tasks found no significant differences. Findings suggest that early environmental experiences are responsible for successful performance, and that mental and spatial problem solving may depend on…

Twelve secondary students with learning disabilities read aloud from a text after previewing the passage under one of three conditions. Results showed significant decreases in error rates under slow-rate listening previewing and silent previewing and showed that slow-rate listening previewing resulted in fewer errors per minute than did fast-rate…