Two experiments examined the hypothesis that the optimum precision level of knowledge of results for motor learning varies as a direct function of age. Subjects were first, third, fifth and ninth graders. (CM)

This paper describes and discusses three studies concerned with the representation of children's knowledge as revealed in the ways that children, ages 5 to 17, perform a scientific induction task. A variant of Piaget's balance scale prediction problem was chosen as the experimental task; a formal model for different levels of children's knowledge…

Focusing on feedback as a necessary condition for goals to affect performance, it was predicted that feedback and goals would be interactively related to performance. This prediction complements findings by Locke and his colleagues that knowledge alone is not sufficient condition for effective performance. Also, it was suggested that the…

A model demonstrates how low correlations for academic achievement in separate units of instruction can be compatible with high correlations for cumulated achievement. The unit achievement is assumed to consist of a task-specific part and a part correlated with a predictor. When units of learning are cumulated, attrition of earlier learning takes…

The influence of student task interest and of usable performance feedback on the effectiveness of verbal reinforcement was investigated in fifth graders who received approval, disapproval, or neutral reinforcement. Neither reinforcement nor reinforcement-task variable interaction provided enough motivation to improve accuracy of task performance.…

A synthetic performance test is a job performance test that has been degraded to some degree in the range of tasks covered or in the fidelity of stimulus/response features. Since further development is needed before synthetic performance testing is valid and efficient, this research project focused on three objectives: to (1) identify problems…