In the first experiment, 16 kindergarten children were tested on vertical/horizontal and oblique discriminations in symmetrical and asymmetrical alignments. When stimuli were asymmetrically aligned, the former discrimination was learned as rapidly as the latter. The second experiment demonstrated that the influence of configurational cues in…

When the mathematics and extended range vocabulary subtests on the Relief Format Assessment Test were factor analyzed, altitude estimation (predicted by mathematics aptitude) and terrain analysis (predicted by vocabulary skills) were found to underly map-reading performance. Solutions were found to be dependent on verbal-analytic ability more than…

Tested hypotheses derived from Beck's cognitive theory of depression. Subjects rated performance before and after receiving feedback on a social interaction task. Results showed depressed males and females had more negative evaluation of present circumstances and poorer memory for feedback. Data were partially supportive of Beck's theory regarding…

The article examines the nature of performance deficits in exceptional learners as they relate to the ability to perform complex cognitive tasks. (PHR)

Investigated the use of cognitive coping strategies in meeting the stressfulness of a testing situation and the relation of these strategies to performance and test anxiety. Rationalization and isolation were associated with better performance, preoccupation and resignation with higher anxiety and poorer performance, and denial with lower anxiety.…

An approach to human performance based on economic concepts is described; the human system employs utility considerations to determine allocation of its limited resources. The efficiency of those resources in performance depends on parameters characterizing the task and the performer. Models and interpretations of dual task performance are…

Performance on a 10-digit task distinguished aged impaired subjects from normals. When subjects were required to dial the series on a telephone apparatus rather than to report it verbally, differences were maximized. Under this condition, aged unimpaired subjects performed at a significantly lower level than young normals. (Author/BEF)

Discusses how behavioral objectives and knowledge are related, what form a performance test theory should take, why some people can skip prerequisites whereas others cannot, how people discover new information, the relationship between content and performance analysis, and, how one might apply the structural approach in adaptive instruction.…

Two experiments examined the communicative bases of preschoolers' object appearance-reality (AR) errors. Found that AR performance correlated positively with performance on a control test with the same discourse structure but nondeceptive stimuli, and on a naming test. Overall findings indicated that the discourse structure of AR tests elicits a…

Examined whether age-related change in naming time reflects automatic access of familiar names because of greater familiarity with the named objects or global change in speed of processing. The path analyses and structural-equation modeling of 8- to 13-year olds were consistent with the second explanation. Time and age were linked to reading…

Fourth-grade students (n=45) either with or without learning disabilities and achieving or not achieving at grade level in math were asked to explain strategies used to solve computational problems. Strategies were classified as reproductive or reconstructive (which varied in applicability and efficiency). Significant group differences were found.…

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…

Three experiments explored change toward more flexible reliance on combinations of spatial and nonspatial landmark information to reorient oneself. Identified 5-7 years as age for this developmental change. Results suggest that language production skills play a causal role in allowing humans to construct novel representations rapidly, which can…

Forty children (ages 7-11) referred for evaluation of learning problems, who had normal scores on measures of academic achievement, were compared to 81 similarly referred children who had scored low. Children with normal achievement scores had higher IQs and better decoding skills, however, the two groups showed similar neuropsychological…

This study examined effects of individual differences in speak-span scores and variations in memory demands on class-inclusion performance of 10-, 13-, and 15-year-olds. Results from regression analyses and the mathematical model indicated that differences in age, speak span, and memory load affected performance. Effects of speak span and memory…