Decoding, working memory, and domain-specific prior knowledge were studied as predictors of comprehension for 48 university undergraduate students after rewriting notes, rereading notes, or rereading a text. Working memory was most important for comprehension of text-implicit information, whereas knowledge was relatively more important for…

First and second graders studied words by means of a talking computer system that highlighted and pronounced orthographic units in words that were touched with a light pen. Results suggest that presenting words as wholes is at least as helpful for short-term learning as presenting them segmented. (LB)

Measures of vocabulary, phonological memory, nonverbal intelligence, and reading were taken from 80 children at ages 4, 5, 6, and 8 years. Comparisons revealed a significant shift in the causal underpinnings of the relationship between phonological memory and vocabulary development before and after age five. (Author/LB)

Discusses the use of autobiography and personal memoirs as teaching tools in the history classroom. Presents information from Henry Watterson's autobiography that discusses the life of Jane Cazneau. Points out flaws in which incorrect information is presented as true. Includes a complete lesson plan for use with the example. (DK)

In a study of recall in gamelike and lessonlike contexts, 4- and 5-year-old children were asked to remember or to play with a set of 16 pictures or toys in a naturalistic or laboratory setting. The children's behavior and language were measured during two-minute study phases, after which recall was assessed. (BC)

The effects of controlling for individual differences in simple reaction time (RT) on the correlations of choice RT and discrimination RT with intelligence quotient were studied for 213 male college students. Simple RT was controlled by subtraction, partial correlation, and multiple correlation. (SLD)

Discusses research on cognitive styles and strategies. Groups labels into two principle styles. Describes the wholist-analytic style, examining whether an individual tends to process information in wholes or parts, and the verbalizer-imager style considering whether an individual is inclined to represent information during thinking verbally or in…

Twenty students and 45 adults with visual impairments or blindness were administered a test of tactile concentration and short-term memory involving the reproduction of the order of finger stimulation using the Finger Knocking Box. Reliability and validity scores indicated encouraging results with use of the instrument. (JDD)

The use of pictures in task analysis to teach complex tasks to students with multiple disabilities is detailed. The paper presents: benefits of picture task analysis as a receptive communication strategy, memory aid, and instructional efficiency; approaches to developing and implementing a picture task analysis; and a case study illustrating the…

Second and fourth graders were classified according to their knowledge of soccer and their IQ and given two sort-recall tasks. Results demonstrated that the knowledge base played an important role in children's memory. Domain knowledge could not fully eliminate the effects of IQ on sort-recall tasks using domain-related materials. (GLR)

A task given to equal numbers of high- and low-achieving machining students and electrical fitting students tested their ability to form sets and set hierarchies. Electrical fitting students had higher achievement. Results suggested that low achievers in technical math may have difficulty with sets because of lack of language facility. (SK)

Recall of teaching events from a lesson is an important part of reflectivity for preservice teachers. Researchers examined questions about the differences between unaided and aided recall of deviations from planned lessons. Results indicated student teachers recalled less than half their deviations and were prone to forgetting student-initiated…

Problem-solving models in memories of 11 good and 12 poor novice first-year university students were studied. The students reconstructed physics problems seen briefly, relying on models in memory. Both good and poor students had models of problem situations at their disposal, but good students performed better than poor students. (SLD)

Two experiments compared the working memory performance of 77 highly gifted seventh and eighth graders (13 and 14 Years ole) with verbal or mathematical precocity, or both. Different types of intellectual talent correlate with different working memory characteristics and differences in how digit and word stimuli are represented in memory. (SLD)

Three experiments (initial total sample of 190 college students) examined students' long-term retention of knowledge learned in college courses. Results of all experiments suggest that students remember a great deal of what they learn up to 11 months later and that tutoring has positive effects on recall by tutors. (SLD)