Advocates of modality preference posit that individuals have a dominant sense and that when new material is presented in this preferred modality, learning is enhanced. Despite the widespread belief in this position, there is little supporting evidence. In the present study, the authors implemented a Morse code-like recall task to examine whether…

Learning styles in capuchin monkeys were assessed with a computerized reversal-learning task called the mediational paradigm. First, monkeys were trained to respond with 90% accuracy on a two-choice discrimination (A+B-). Then the authors examined differences in performance on three different types of reversal trials (A-B+, A-C+, B+C-), each of…

This study investigated the relationship between categorical perception and dyslexia by comparing the discrimination responses of 19 children with dyslexia and 17 average readers to sinewave analogues of speech sounds presented as either nonspeech whistles or as speech sounds. The study found an increased perceptibility of within-category…

Impulsive and reflective children performed in a discrimination learning task which included four reinforcement conditions: verbal-reward, verbal-punishment, material-reward, and material-punishment. (SB)

Field independence, visual analysis, and spatial visualization were investigated and social communication skills were assessed in two groups of 25 first graders (chosen for either high or low verbal ability). (Author/PHR)

The relationship between conceptual complexity and stimulus saliency was explored in a 3 x 4 factorial design using 144 undergraduates. Levels of complexity were represented by varying the ratio of relevant-to-irrelevant dimensions (1:3, 2:2, and 3:1). The saliency factor varied according to the discriminability between each attribute within…

This study indicates that impulsive children inhibit expressive behavior less than reflective children in the presence of a nonverbal inhibitory cue, and provides support for the construct validity of the Matching Familiar Figures Test of reflectivity/impulsivity. (GO)

This study investigated the effects of two stimulus manipulations (spatial distinctness and number of dimensions) on the performance of 24 kindergartners and 24 fifth graders in (1) tasks requiring distributed attention and (2) tasks requiring selective attention. Results suggest that kindergartners attempt to use one processing mode (distributed…

Describes an empirical investigation of the differences in learning strategies or approaches of 30 university students. The results indicate that the differences in approach may be found in the kind of information focused on and learned rather than how much people learn in a quantitative sense. Thirty-six references are listed. (CHC)

Discussion centered on three sets of factors that may influence the variability observed in "concept identification" (concept formation and discrimination learning) studies: stimulus characteristics, incentives employed, and subject characteristics. Stimulus characteristics are described in terms of the number of dimensions…

This study was designed to examine the effects of age and sex on susceptibility to field dependence training and to determine whether the field dependence phenomenon is a function of cognitive style or of a general inability to make correct judgments because of confusing and inaccurate information. (MS)

The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) published a new learning style instrument in 1986--the NASSP Learning Style Profile (LSP). The LSP yields independent scores on 24 discrete elements of learning style. Its purpose is to provide educators with a well-validated and easy to use instrument for diagnosing cognitive styles,…

This study examines the effects of readiness level and learning modality emphasis on the form discrimination performance of kindergarten children on training and transfer tasks. Forty-eight male and 48 female kindergarten children between the ages of 5.5 and 6.5 years participated in the study. The children were randomly selected from a group of…

The process of forming operator schemata was studied in three experiments. In each experiment a greater amount of predictive information in a stimulus item increased the chance of selecting the operator accurately.

Examines the role of experience in the use of orthographic structure by good and poor sixth-grade readers. Results showed that poor sixth-grade readers used orthographic structure to speed their matching judgments just as effectively as good sixth-grade readers. (HOD)