Previous research by A. I. Schulman argued that an observed systematic decline in recognition memory in long word lists was due to the build-up of input and output proactive interference (PI). It also suggested that input PI resulted from process automatization; that is, each list item was processed or encoded in much the same way, producing a set…

This paper defines performance measurement as the clarification of objectives and standards, identification of key activities, data collection and analysis, and formative evaluation of services. It then examines some of the factors involved in using performance measurement to evaluate public services activities, and analyzes performance…

Piaget's conservation experiments have been criticized and reinterpreted in the light of various theoretical orientations. Some research studies suggest social as well as cognitive factors to explain children's answers. Other research indicates the importance of interaction variables in the conservation task. Actually, interaction in the…

A concurrent validity study of the Computer Attitude Scale (CAS) was undertaken to index criteria-related validity through available performance evaluation data of 47 computer programmers and operators at a large, Midwest public utility organization. A Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient of CAS scores with performance evaluations…

Verbal and pictorial class-inclusion questions were presented to children in kindergarten through grade 6. The data indicates that the purely verbal form of the question was less difficult for the children to answer than the pictorial form. (Author/CS)

Many academic examinations exhibit sex differences in terms of entry figures and pass rates. This fact is illustrated by a selection of statistics from the British GCE "O" level examination results for June 1976. These results are discussed in terms of three possible causes: innate differences in intellectual functioning, sex role…

This study hypothesized that teachers would hold natural expectancies--positive or negative--for students' performance from having previously taught students' older siblings in the same class, depending upon older siblings' performance levels. These students would then differ from no-expectancy controls on specific classroom behaviors and…

This study examined the influence of male and female models on the expectancies, achievement, and attributions of college students. A factorial design varied sex of subjects (male, female), sex of models (male, female), and causal attribution offered by models for completion of a novel task (effort, luck, ability, task difficulty). Females'…

Recent research has confirmed that hemispheric patterns of dominance are related to reading skills. Reading is more complex than speech because it includes a visuo-spatial element. In the great majority of people, the left hemisphere deals with speech and sequencing skills. Visual matching of printed words requires the spatial skills of the right…

This paper conjectures about motivational, behavioral, and contextual factors in the transferability of vocational skills--factors which will influence performance when and if movement into or across jobs occurs. It is assumed that skill transfer depends upon similarity within and among motivational, contextual, and behavioral factors, referred to…

The problem-solving performance of young boys and girls was examined in three conditions in which good performance was indicated as being appropriate for boys, for girls, or for both boys and girls. The relations between task scores and five sex-role measures were also examined. As predicted, the boys performed significantly poorer when the task…

Describes the research approach used to develop the MAT-SEA-CAL Oral Proficiency tests designed by the authors. Language test performance depends on both language proficiency and knowledge of the culture. (TL)