Five and seven year olds were able to correctly distinguish between factual and fictional television programs and test clips, based upon genre of program, production features, content. Age and vocabulary scores predicted accuracy of factuality judgments, but television viewing history did not. Older children understood better than younger ones…

Describes a study of basic skills testing in mathematics and reading. Examines the relationships between mathematics course performance and class standing, gender, age, transfer status, and math Scholastic Assessment Tests (SAT) scores; and reading course performance and verbal SAT, Nelson Denny Reading Test, and Degrees of Reading Power Test…

Discussion of how we perceive meaning from graphics highlights a computer simulation model, UCIE (Understanding Cognitive Information Engineering), that simulates graphical perception. An empirical study is described that compared actual performance to UCIE predictions related to the amount of time required to answer a question in various…

Surveyed 5,939 men entering gay bars in 16 American cities to determine predictors of risky sexual practices. Excluding individuals in long-term exclusive relationships, 27 percent of respondents reported engaging in high-risk sex in the past 2 months. Findings indicate an urgent need for HIV prevention efforts for gay men in smaller cities. (RJM)

Studied 137 smokers who were assessed on 12 predictor variables and then randomly assigned to social support or self-control treatment. Social support treatment was more effective than self-control treatment for participants with high baseline self-control orientation scores and participants with high self-efficacy scores. Implications are…

This study of 121 10th-grade students investigated the criterion-related validity of 2 potential curriculum-based measurements, reading from text and identifying vocabulary meaning, for predicting student performance on content-area study tasks. Correlational and multiple regression techniques found the vocabulary measure to be the stronger…

Telephone interviews were conducted with 39 college-educated mothers of 3-year-old children to examine the conditions surrounding the occurrence of physical punishment. Responses suggest that certain types of misbehavior, notably aggression, were more likely to elicit spanking than other misbehavior. In addition, parents' positive attitudes toward…

Presents research from a recently completed study investigating the relationship between college-age offsprings' perceptions of several dimensions of interparental conflict and indicants of adjustment. Analysis revealed that frequency of interparental conflict was the most important predictor of depression, externalizing behavior problems, and…

Describes a 10-year study of the 1,404 students who transferred from Ohio's Cuyahoga Community College to Kent State University from 1979 to 1988. Indicates that the graduation rates of transfers and native students were at least equal and that transfer students' grade point averages were not an accurate predictor of baccalaureate attainment. (19…

Incorporated multimethod measurement procedures and addressed several deficiencies noted in prevention-focused parent skills training outcome literature. Analysis of intervention group versus control group differences on protective parenting behaviors targeted by intervention and general child management skills showed significant intervention…

Measures of survival skills, locus of control, study skills, achievement test scores, and grade point average for 86 students (ages 11-15) with behavioral disorders were analyzed to identify the correlates and predictors of their academic achievement. Overall, student achievement test performance was correlated with organizational skills and an…

Mother and peer assessments of preschoolers' behavior were compared to teachers' responses on a preschool behavior questionnaire with three components. The disruptive component was highly correlated with peer assessments, and moderately correlated with mother assessments; the prosocial and anxious components were moderately correlated with mother…

This study of the effectiveness of the Project Success Summer Program found that the eight-week program improved dyslexic adults' (n=63) reading and spelling scores in five areas. Results indicated that training in phonological skills improved decoding skills and that passage reading rates and individual word reading rates best predicted…

Studied patterns of boys' social development by examining data from two longitudinal studies: a Finnish study of eight year olds begun in 1968; and a French Canadian study of six year olds begun in 1984. Patterns were identified using variables of aggression, hyperactivity, inattentiveness, anxiety, and lack of prosocial behavior. (LB)

The relationship between adolescent loneliness and factors associated with adult loneliness (attributional style, self-esteem, social anxiety, and social skills) was investigated for 107 male and 79 female ninth graders completing 7 difference measures. Social skills, self-esteem, and attributional style are significant predictors of loneliness,…