Investigates whether all three components of performance visualization (education, guided imagery, and modeling) are necessary to help people enhance speech performance and reduce public speaking apprehension. Finds that the education component appears to be unnecessary. Speculates that cognitive processing differences with regard to language and…

This article focuses on the need of meaningful experiences to children's individual differences. The degree to which one can tailor experiences to each child's unique qualities increases the likelihood that the child will grow up physically, intellectually, and emotionally healthy and thus able to meet the expectations of family and society. This…

Less is known about the effects of normal aging on speech output than other motor actions, because studies of communication integrity have focused on voice production and linguistic parameters rather than speech production characteristics. Studies investigating speech production in older adults have reported increased syllable duration (Slawinski,…

Results are reported for a series of 13 studies examining individual differences in information processing efficiency. The tasks used represented different content domains and levels of processing complexity. A total of 680 individuals (balanced between males and females, and aged 18 to 25 years) were tested. Subjects were selected from…

What pushes a writer over the edge of thought into text production--over what may be called "the writing threshold?" This is the moment when the thoughts in a writer's mind, the writing situation, and personal motivations create a momentum that results in a pattern of written words. There is evidence that not everyone crosses the writing…

This project was designed to construct a single theoretical framework for the analysis of problem solving and real time "attention and performance" behavior. The model was developed as a computer program. It was designed in a similar manner to that of various problem solving simulations that use the "production system"…

In a visual recognition masking experiment, a target stimulus to be identified is either preceded or followed by a second stimulus called a masking stimulus. The experiments described here provide estimates of both developmental and aging differences in visual backward masking under conditions which maximize interference in the central visual…

This paper reviews 35 studies important in the historical development of field dependence, a popular research topic in psychology. The first section involves antecedents of the concept of field dependence, such as the influence of Kurt Lewin. Part two deals with the development of field dependence as an individual differences variable. Part three…

This paper reviews the research on second language acquisition and bilingualism conducted in Canada over the past decade (1970-79). The material on second language acquisition is presented under the followinq headings: approaches to second language instruction, individual differences and second language acquisition, and effects of second language…

Two perspectives of descriptive research are discussed: first-order, which describes the world as it is; and second-order, which describes the world as people experience it. The latter perspective is known as experiential description. Research in a variety of disciplines, notably the work of Darwin, Werner, and Piaget, has provided experiential…

Three known methodological approaches were investigated as to their within-test correlative support in the measurement of a phenomena called imagery. Based on these methodologies, repeated dichotomization of subjects into high and low visualizers was significantly consistent. Moreover, self-reported ratings of imagery vividness of prose were…

This study examined possible relationships between the analytic/global dimension of cognitive style, as defined by Davis and Klausmeier (1970) and measured by the Children's Embedded Figures Test (CEFT), and two modes of instruction varying in the level of guidance provided the learner. Sixty Anglo subjects (eight and nine years old), identified…

In order to help students to be more efficient decision makers, it is essential to consider individual differences in the decision making process. The problem of this study was to determine the influence of specific internal and situational factors on the amount of information demanded prior to making risky decisions. Factors studied were category…

This paper comments on the thesis that cognitive style and affective reaction variables ought to be taken into account in the evaluation of instruction. Observations are expressed as questions relating to cognitive style: Which style is it better for an individual to have? Can cognitive style be adapted to fit a particular learning task? Can it be…