Cognitive load (CL) theory suggests minimizing extraneous CL and maximizing germane CL in order not to overload working memory. Instructional design for older adults should therefore include goal-free problems, worked examples, and different modalities and avoid splitting attention and including redundant information. (SK)

Half of a group of 46 younger and 45 older adults watched a slide sequence once (one-trial learning), the other repeatedly (criterion learning). Three weeks later, they were asked questions with misleading information. When event memory was poor for older adults in the criterion group, they were more suggestible. In one-trial learning, younger…

This study confirmed the following: Fowler's (1989) finding that duration is reduced for repeated words that involve Given information; evidence that Given repetitions are restricted to intra-topic discourse; evidence that duration is increased for new repetitions under intra-topic conditions; and evidence for shortening and lengthening are…

Used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine spatial working memory in 8- to 11-year-olds tested under 3 conditions. Found that subtracting activation of the motor condition from the memory condition revealed activity in dorsal aspects of the prefrontal cortex and in the posterior parietal and anterior cingulate cortex. Analysis of…

Discusses theoretical and empirical aspects of the neural bases of the mental lexicon and the mental grammar in the first and second language (L1 and L2). Argues that in the first language, the learning, representation, and processing of lexicon and grammar depend on two well-studies brain memory systems. (Author/VWL)

Examined effects of age and degree of learning on children's susceptibility to retroactive interference. Found that children who participated repeatedly in target game recognized more information from that game than children who participated once. Both 4- and 7-year-olds were susceptible to retroactive interference; susceptibility was not affected…

Examined source monitoring and false memories in 6-, 8-, and 10-year-olds related to their memory of information presented by videotape and/or audiotape. Found that certainty rating revealed deficits in children's understanding of when they had erred on source questions and when they had made false alarms. Inhibitory ability accounted for unique…

Two experiments investigated the role of spatial prototypes in estimates of location. Found that adults and children ages 7 to 11 years overestimated distances between target locations in different regions and that none displaced objects toward the region centers. Even with boundaries removed during testing, adults and children overestimated…

Describes how veteran elementary teacher at international school in Saudi Arabia uses her knowledge of brain research to design instruction that will enhance student retention of new geographic concepts. (Contains 11 references.) (PKP)

Working memory, the ability to temporarily retain task-relevant information across a delay, is frequently investigated using delayed matching-to-sample (DMTS) or delayed Go/No-Go tasks (DGNG). In DMTS tasks, sample cues instruct the animal which type of response has to be executed at the end of a delay. Typically, performance decreases with…

Imitation is an important means by which infants learn new behaviours. When infants do not have the opportunity to immediately reproduce observed actions, they may form a memory representation of the event which can guide their behaviour when a similar situation is encountered again. Imitation procedures can, therefore, provide insight into infant…

The retrieval of temporal-order versus spatial-location information was investigated using fMRI. The primary finding in the hippocampus proper, seen in region of interest analyses, was an increase in BOLD signal intensity for temporal retrieval, and a decrease in signal intensity for spatial retrieval, relative to baseline. The negative BOLD…

We tested the impact of associative strength and retrieval heuristics in false source memory. We arranged 12-item associative lists in descending order of backward associative strength to a critical non-presented item and then split them into 6-item sub-lists at the median. High- and low-strength sub-lists were correlated with presentation source.…

This article describes school desegregation as a 3-generational, intricately linked process. The 1st generation included efforts toward physical desegregation for African American students; the 2nd generation emphasized equal access to classrooms, teaching bias, and ability groups; and the challenges of the 3rd generation include barriers to equal…

Twenty preschoolers with specific language impairment (SLI) and 20 age matches with normal language (NL) participated in a study to determine whether phonological memory or semantic knowledge predicted word-learning success. Poor learners' performance was analyzed to investigate whether phonology or semantics contributed more to word-learning…