This annual report discusses several topics related to the work of the Research and Clinical Center for Child Development. Six topics are covered in the report. The articles are: (1) "Development of Intentional Behavior in Early Infancy" (Hongtu Chen); (2) "An Investigation of the Differences of Social Space in the Playroom: Through…

In the manufacturing industry, many complex tasks are taught through an apprenticeship program; the experience and expertise gained through years of practice is invaluable to the industry and can be lost if not properly captured and transferred. This paper reports on the design of a training system that combines the use of computer-based…

This study promotes the natural world as a resource for personal growth. It stresses how nature may help individuals build responsible and fulfilling relationships and offers sensory activities which show how nature can lead people to emotional health by teaching them its "non-language communication." Once participants identify and…

A mathematics methods course is a critical site for intervening on prospective teachers' past experiences with mathematics, which have often left them without a meaningful understanding of mathematical content, appreciation of what mathematics entails, or confidence in their own ability to do and to learn mathematics. This paper examines the role…

CONCEPT FORMATION IN 50 KINDERGARTENERS WAS STUDIED BY REQUIRING THE CHILDREN TO SORT CARDS ACCORDING TO ONE OF FOUR ATTRIBUTES OF THREE DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS. THE OBJECTIVE WAS TO EXPLORE THE VALIDITY AND LIMITATIONS OF AN ALL-OR-NONE LEARNING MODEL FOR COMPLEX CLASSIFYING RESPONSES. INFORMATION WAS PRESENTED TO THE SUBJECT BY TWO POSITIVE…

The contributions of psychology, theoretically and experimentally, to university teaching are examined from the perspective of educational epistemology. The most basic theoretical contribution that psychology has made to cognitive learning has been the delineation of a unit of thinking, the concept, which acts as an organizer of experience. The…

In this study, eight groups of kindergarten children were trained to discriminate position and order differences in verbal and nonverbal item sequences in the context of a matching task or an associative learning task or both. Transfer was measured by having the subjects sight learn a list of words contrasting in position and order. Subsequently,…

This study sought to test by the validation process the finding that there is a different relationship between associative learning ability and IQ in middle- and low-socioeconomic groups as reported by Jensen and others. The study was conducted to ascertain need for revision of testing programs and curricular materials used with disadvantaged…

Selected elements of reading and psychomotor characteristics among good and poor readers of divergent intellectual abilities were investigated. Four groups were selected for study: good and poor readers who were of average ability, and good and poor readers who were mentally handicapped. Approximately 160 subjects were identified for testing, and…

This research on factors influencing verbal learning and retention has used new techniques, attacked new problems, and tested new theories while trying to keep the experiments systematic. Studies conducted involved (1) the effect of varying the length of the intertrial interval on the learning and retention of different types of learning tasks;…

How the mode of input of stimuli affects the quality or type of response was studied by comparing the number of paradigmatic responses and syntagmatic responses to both orally and visually presented stimulus words. The following groups, totaling 194 subjects, were involved in four experiments: (1) 18 institutionalized disturbed adolescents, (2) 96…

A university second language program using associative learning and context to enhance retention of words, expressions, and structures is described. Observed results of this situational approach are discussed. (MSE)

The effects of different models of exploration questioning on young children's associative fluency were examined in two experiments with kindergarteners. It is concluded that asking descriptive and difference exploration questions are most facilitative of children's associative fluency. (Author/SEW)

Defines contextual learning, or presenting new information to students in familiar contexts. Argues that community colleges must be ready for an anticipated increase in contextual learners due to its use in tech prep programs. Describes elements of contextual learning, its application in the classroom, and ways that colleges can prepare for…

Discussion of supportive text in hypermedia programs focuses on the motivational aspects of supportive text for young users. An example using the historical novel "Johnny Tremain," by Esther Forbes, is used to show how motivationally supportive text can encourage associative learning and show cross-disciplinary linkages of ideas and…