Literature review suggests structural characteristics which prevent counselors from performing optimally in a parochial school setting. Counselors ranked 20 obstacles, indicating that lack of clerical help, high student-counselor ratio, and insufficient time for professional improvement were most serious. (CJ)

Three convergent studies investigated the hypothesis that task-irrelevant status attributes of peers influence judgment of deservingness more for younger than for older children. Race of participants, relative size, task performance, grade level, and retention in grade were variables explored. (Author/RH)

Results from achievement and ability testing of about 150 Swedish urban children in third, fifth, and sixth grades were analyzed according to the children's physical maturity and social background. Social background played the main role in performance on the achievement and most of the mental ability tests. (MP)

Compared laboratory and naturalistic content influences on formal reasoning tasks of 90 13-, 15-, and 17-year-olds, focusing on tasks requiring ability to control variables. Results indicate that 8 to 20 percent of performance variance was associated with task content. Content effects were also shown to reflect expectations about task variables.…

Contrasted high-functioning and low-functioning persons in small groups using two studies based on Carkhuff's and Maslow's models of effective functioning. Results revealed high-functioning persons perceived interpersonal effectiveness as a Gestalt; low-functioning persons perceived interpersonal dimension operating independently. (JAC)

Researchers studied the effect of interpolating extraneous information on students' ability to process cognitive information concerning their prior performances on the McCloy block test. The extraneous information was given in the interval between their last test and their next attempt to perform it. Results are discussed. (Author/PP)