This paper reports on an assessment of the cognitive skills section of the "Test of Communication Knowledge." The test was designed by Dr. Rebecca B. Rubin to evaluate learning by undergraduate communication majors in the School of Communication Studies at Kent State University (Ohio). In particular, the test is based on a set of…

Explored the hierarchical structure of mental abilities by comparing principal component analysis with a hierarchical cluster analysis algorithm on a short test battery for 182 children. Both the linear principal component analysis and the nonlinear hierarchical clustering analysis confirmed the hierarchical organization of mental abilities. (JAC)

Measures of memory for order were correlated with measures requiring mental manipulation, achievement, and aptitude using college and fifth grade students. A significant relationship was found for fifth graders but not for college students, suggesting that the nature and capacity of short-term memory changes with age. (Author/PN)

Analysis of teacher-student exchanges in high school discussion classes revealed that only half of all students' responses exhibited the same cognitive level as the teacher's intervention. The findings are compared to previous studies which together offer little support for the notion of cognitive correspondence between question and answer.…

Discusses the relationship between Piaget's theory of cognitive development and Perry's theory of intellectual and ethical development, and recommends a framework for their application in course design. Involving students in examining not only course content, but also their beliefs and reasoning patterns, is recommended as a route for improving…

Investigates effects of an independent variable (grade) on three dependent variables (membership, partial association, and generalization) describing preferential styles of thinking in 1635 pupils, measured by a 16 concept word test. (DS)

Investigated validity of the Short Form Test of Academic Aptitude (SFTAA) as a predictor of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) Full Scale IQ. Tested junior-high students and found the WISC-R could be estimated satisfactorily from the SFTAA, which was shown to be a valid indicator of intelligence. (Author/JAC)

A study investigated the relationship between scores on individual and group cognitive measures and those on achievement tests for disadvantaged first grade students. (FL)

Analyzed published data on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) to ascertain whether the Information and Vocabulary subtests can function as measures of intelligence. Concluded that the addition of more WAIS subtests will not result in any increase in predictive validity and these additional tests, therefore, lack incremental validity.…

An experiment to determine if different affective responses would result from exposure to three different forms of media presenting the same content used a semantic differential to measure affective response, and an objective test to measure cognitive learning. Analysis of covariance indicated significantly less learning for audiotaped version of…

Presents data on reasoning abilities of science and non-science majors at one private, liberal arts university. Indicates that most students taking physics are formal operational or into transition to formal reasoning and that six concrete operational students dropped the course. (JN)

Investigated proportional reasoning abilities of 35 college science students using projection of shadows problem while presenting relevant only or relevant/irrelevant information. Field independence was measured using Group Embedded Figures Test. Students in relevant only condition performed significantly better. Degree of field independence…

The extent to which the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) measures aspects of personality and cognitive impairment was explored in 81 male alcoholics receiving treatment for alcoholism. Results suggest GEFT may be more a measure of cognitive impairment than personality. Alternative explanations are explored. (Author/RL)

Explored behaviors of students at various times during an examination to examine the relationship between test anxiety and test performance. Results indicated that low test anxious students differed significantly on all eight dependent variables with the level of test anxiety having a significant effect. (Author)

Investigates the cognitive functioning of 106 college freshmen using six paper-pencil Piagetian-based tasks. Results show that only 25 percent of the freshmen tested were reasoning at a formal level. (HM)