Two studies are reported. The first is based on Piaget's assertion that the child's representation of his world is dependent on the level of cognitive development at which he is currently functioning. Forty-eight normals and 48 retardates were given a visual memory task. They were asked to recall a configural presentation in a number of ways,…

The stated purpose of the text is to review and interpret current behavioral research in mental retardation (including that done abroad) and to provide a forum for theories and new approaches. Eight chapters by different authors focus on the following subjects: medical-behavioral research; recognition memory: a research strategy and summary of…

The ability to anticipate elements in sequence is the foundation of all language skills. Because of its naturally high redundancy, it is almost always possible in the normal use of language to partially predict what will come next in a sequence of elements. The central feature of language processing is expectancy for successive elements. A very…

Tasks involved in paired associate learning (attention, perceptual learning, visual and auditory memory, response learning, and stimulus-response connections) are identified as some of the same skills and strategies involved in learning to read. Two studies on visual memory, the developmental lag hypothesis, and reading ability are examined to…

This paper discusses various theories of the role of memory in vocabulary acquisition and storage. Several research models are described, and theoretical considerations and questions are presented. The lexicon is seen as an element of grammar; an understanding of lexicon organization is important in the understanding of vocabulary acquisition.…

The symposium on the physical and psychomotor aspects of sports covered a variety of topics. Among those contained in this report are: discussions on the taxonomies of sports; the time dimension of physical activity including response variables, judgment of temporal order, and duration discrimination; memory; information and its use in physical…

Learning is not a simple unitary process. This paper identifies three qualitatively different phases of the learning process. In one phase, the learner acquires facts and information, accumulating more structures onto the already existing knowledge structures. This phase of learning is adequate only when the material being learned is part of a…

Reports on a study that sought to test theories which predict that spacing between two items to be learned improves the probability of remembering at least one of the items. (AM)

Three experiments use a tachistoscopic word recognition task to investigate how skilled readers covert visual input into a speech-related or phonological code during reading. (Author/NCR)

Identifies four characteristics of a cognitive model of learning (short-term and long-term memory, use of cognitive strategies, and dual information processing), and examines this model's implications for educational broadcast television design. This review focuses on research studies with instructional implications for pacing, cueing, modeling,…

A study of the effectiveness of the personalized system of instruction (PSI) for teaching dental materials to dental hygienists compared the technique's effects to those of conventional instruction on end-of-course achievement, aptitude-achievement relationships, long-term retention, and course attitudes. (MSE)

Assessed the relative availability of Piagetian formal reasoning concepts at different ages in adulthood and examined performance patterns on standardized intelligence tests, logical reasoning, immediate memory span, and personality measures. Results indicated that although the elderly students' performances were generally adequate, their scores…

When learning-disabled high school students (N=22) were taught about astronomy by either presenting key concepts with a visual spatial display or by presenting concepts with texts, tests measuring short-term mastery of content favored students taught with the visual display. No differences were found between the groups on transfer or maintenance.…

A study of 12- to 14-year-olds was conducted to investigate which components of spatial ability may be dependent on general cognitive functioning level and to compare possible differences in carrying out certain spatial operations in children of equal intelligence, but who are not specifically gifted for mathematics or visual arts. (MBR)

Retarded and nonretarded persons were compared on a task designed to preclude the use of cognitive strategies. Results suggest the possible importance of automatic processing deficiencies and invite a reconsideration of the idea that the relationship between intelligence and memory is due entirely to effortful processes. (LMO)