Studies the performance of probabilistic information retrieval systems using differing statistical dependence assumptions when estimating the probabilities inherent in the retrieval model. Experimental results using the Bahadur Lazarsfeld expansion on the Cystic Fibrosis database are discussed that suggest that incorporating term dependence…

Describes results of a study of business school students that investigated the link between the ability of business simulation team participants to forecast financial and/or market-related outcomes and the actual results of their decision making. Profitability and forecasting errors are discussed, and implications for designing business…

This study examined the effect of a salient multimodal reinforcer on object search performance of 9 children with Down's syndrome (24-56 months old). Attentional deficits of children with mental retardation or at risk for delay influenced their performance. Contingency learning of children with Down's syndrome may be affected by the attentional…

Examined the effects of narrative statements used to evoke imaginal elaborations on children's recall. Found that children generated images that involved multiple referents and that children's memory performance was facilitated when their imaginal constructions were based on material created by themselves rather than on descriptions provided by…

Calls for community colleges to collaborate with state and federal agencies to develop national post-community college earnings measures and student outcomes. Asserts that changes in pre- or post-college earnings result from many factors, and that attributing these changes to a single variable may lead to inaccurate conclusions. (EMH)

A study compared reports of 20 children (37 to 67 months) of either a voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG) or a pediatric assessment. Ratings of stress were significantly higher for children who underwent the VCUG and they reported more correct information than the children who experienced the pediatric assessment. (Author/CR)

Thirty-two high school students were categorized by creativity style (adaptor or innovator) and completed two musical composition problems involving two different degrees of problem-finding behaviors: an open, and a closed, problem. No significant differences due to problem type, creativity style, or the interaction of the two factors was found.…

A study examined learning through the eyes of 20 high-achieving female secondary students. Learning and success in school was described as the result of taking an active stance toward the material and understanding their own style preferences, including an inclination for learning within contexts and a tendency to study alone. (Author/CR)

Uses a general theory of domain identification to describe achievement barriers faced by women in advanced quantitative areas and African Americans in school. Research with approximately 250 African American college students and standardized test scores show the effects of stereotype threat on the achievement of these groups. (SLD)

Results of a series of studies of factors affecting perceived quality in school organizations in Iowa show a significant positive relationship between the perceived quality of district staff development and the perceived quality effectiveness index of the districts. Respondents were 720 teachers, administrators, and students from 44 school…

Argues that measurable change in student performance should be the standard for making judgments about effective instruction and that these data can serve as an important component in the evaluation of teacher-preparation programs. Describes assessment technologies that allow more direct measures of student learning. (Author/CR)

A study involving 205 children from the Danish island of Bornholm found significant paths from early language abilities at age 3 through expressive and receptive language in kindergarten via language awareness in kindergarten and word decoding in grade 2 to sentence reading in grades 3 and 4. (Author/CR)

Examined performance of first through sixth graders on conditional-inference task, using causal conditionals and a generation of alternatives task. Found a steady age-related increase in uncertainty responses to two uncertain logical forms and an increase in production of disabling conditions for "modus ponens." Individual differences in inference…

Compared 3- and 5-year olds' recall of a pediatric examination in verbal versus enactment interviews. Found that children in the enactment condition provided more spontaneous, elaborate reports than did children in verbal interview. Enactment produced increased errors by 3-year olds one week after examination, by both age groups after six weeks.…

Studied the sampling-probability hypothesis of cultural influence of H. Triandis by examining the relationship of cultural values and performance feedback referents to an individual's self-efficacy for 92 American, 66 mainland Chinese, and 70 Czech managers. Discusses results with regard to a general model of self-efficacy and culture in an…