The effects of prompting and confirmation on automated presentation of materials in discrimination learning were studied. Eight pairs of words or pictures were presented to 48 mentally retarded subjects (mean IQ 63, mean chronological age 163.4 months, mean mental age 103.3 months). Each subject's correct responses advanced the program and, in the…

The Tennessee Self Concept Scale (TSCS) contains 100 items and 12 scales designed to assess self concept in three areas: total self esteem, self-criticism, and self-consistency. One hundred and seventeen females and three males, 75% of whom were black, attending a Work Incentive training program were administered the TSCS to examine its construct…

To assess the relationship between paternal behavior and the intellectual functioning of preschool boys and girls, 180 white fathers from middle, working, and lower classes (as defined by the Hollingshead-Redlich Scale) were observed at home interacting with their 4-year-olds (99 boys and 81 girls). Sessions were tape-recorded. The number of…

This literature review examines the effects of hospitalization on the young child and suggests ways in which parents and hospital personnel can protect children from the potentially harmful emotional and intellectual effects of hospitalization. The history of attitudes toward the hospitalization of children is discussed. Children's emotional…

The multiple-choice science exercises used by the National Assessment of Educational Progress include an "I Don't Know" (IDK) alternative to estimate more accurately knowledge of groups of respondents. Group percentages of IDK responses were examined and compared with correct responses to see if the IDK introduces bias. Variance common…

Seventy-eight fourth grade children were randomly assigned to one of two evaluation groups. One group (self-evaluation) judged the correctness of their answers and reinforced themselves while the other group (other-evaluation) was judged and reinforced by some other person. Results showed that girls were significantly more responsible for failure…

An overview of Noam Chomsky's theories about transformational grammar and phonology is given. Since Chomsky was interested in characterizing what it is to know a language, the ways in which we demonstrate knowledge of our native language are discussed in detail. Particular emphasis is placed on describing how the transformational approach actually…

The purpose of this pilot study was to provide data from which tentative conclusions could be made about adults and their ability to handle literary abstractions. A sample of 93 inmates (all male, 26 Negro, 67 white) at Sumter Correctional Institution was randomly chosen and asked to verbalize their reactions to four comic strips and to write…

An analysis of part-of-speech membership was made utilizing certain mechanisms that have been proposed to explain the nature of word classes. It was proposed that words of the same form class constitute "verbal habit families" on the basis of either a common grammatical meaning response, a common affix, or a common label (e.g., "verb"). One…

The design of the monograph concentrates on scientists and technicians, reviewing and synthesizing available research findings related to vocational choice. Recommendations are limited to the study of personal and environmental factors influencing career paths toward the sciences and technology during the educational years. Two primary purposes of…

The Matching Familiar Figures Test is a measure of the response style "reflection-impulsivity." The version of the test used in the longitudinal study test battery consists of two practice and 18 test items. On each item, the child is shown one standard and four comparison figures. Figures are simple line drawings done in black on a…

Current linguistic theory rigidly compartmentalizes the "cognitive," linguistic aspects of human communication and the presumed "emotive," paralinguistic elements that occur in both human and nonhuman communication. The segmental phonetic units of human speech, according to this view, are supposed to convey linguistically relevant information,…

This brief review explains some alternate scoring procedures to the classical method of summing correct responses. The novel procedures attempt in some way to retrieve and use even the information in the wrong responses. (Author)

The highly rated television program series, "All in the Family," was used to test the relationship between attitudes espoused by televised characters and attitudes held by viewers of this type of television programing. On the basis of survey questionnaires, it was condluded that people who hold dogmatic and, especially, racist beliefs find…

The labeling theory of deviance is used as a basis from which to comment on the dynamics of the labeling process in schools in general. Several research studies have demonstrated the self-fulfilling prophecy of labeling techniques. Four types of behavior can be distinguished: behavior that breaks a rule and is labeled as deviant; behavior that…