Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were recorded from 6-month-old infants with and without Down syndrome presented with a visual recognition memory task. The ERP morphology was the same for both groups. The chronometry of information processing by infants with Down syndrome was similar to or faster than "normal" infants' processing.…

Within a small bounded space, the location of a hidden object can be coded in terms of distance information, general area of hiding, or the boundary of the space. The use of these three coding strategies by infants was examined using a visual search task. Results indicated boundary information and the nature of the change influenced coding of…

Assessed three- to six-year-olds' understanding of their own knowledge on different see-know tests. Found a significant positive association between passing see-know tests and free recall, which persisted even when cued recall and verbal intelligence were partialed out. (MDM)

Two experiments were conducted with 124 undergraduate and graduate students to investigate the interaction between strategy use and accessibility to relevant knowledge. Variations in relevant knowledge accessibility significantly affected strategy use on the first memorization trial, and ease of use on the first trial affected maintenance of the…

This investigation explored recognition memory for sign language vocabulary in sign language students. Ten beginning and 10 advanced students were asked to judge their familiarity with 50 old and new vocabulary items presented in both written (sign gloss) and signed stimulus modes. (JL)

This commentary discusses three issues raised by Brainerd and others' research on forgetting: (1) measurement of forgetting rates; (2) differentiation of storage from retrieval factors; and (3) implications of findings for procedure- or strategy-oriented memory development theories. (BC)

To examine the role of cognitive skill and racial stereotyping in Euro-American children's processing of race-related information, 75 Euro-American children, aged 4 to 9 years, were asked to recall test stories that were either consistent or inconsistent with cultural racial stereotypes. As predicted, lower degrees of racial stereotyping were…

Two studies demonstrated that infants use referential cues to guide new word-object mapping as early as 19 to 20 months of age and that they understood that actions accompanying such labeling were not necessarily referential. These findings indicate that language learning is grounded in a relatively rich understanding of cues to reference, at…

To gather normative observations on a visual memory test developed by A. Rey (1964), it was administered to 100 temporal-lobe epilepsy patients with memory deficits and 56 outpatients with neurological disorders. Results suggest a cutoff score of 7 on the memory test may alert the clinician to possible factitious memory complaints. (SLD)

Outlines some theoretical differences in the interpretation of nonword repetition and discusses how best these differences could be resolved. (eight references) (GLR)

Examined effects of participation in an event on four and seven year olds' reports of the event. Results showed that participation lowered susceptibility to suggestion. Older children were less suggestible about actions that took place. Children showed high resistance to suggestions about actions that might be associated with abuse. (SH)

Proposes a cognitive-based model for instructional design that addresses the acquisition and employment of knowledge, the interaction of content knowledge and cognitive strategies for higher order thinking skills, and the affective domain. Educational learning theory is discussed, including working memory, long-term memory, and cognitive skills.…

A theoretical integration of the storage and processing functions of working memory in language comprehension is presented. A computational theory is described in which storage and processing are fueled by activation. Capacity is expressed as the maximum amount of activation available in working memory for either storage or processing. (SLD)

The claim that knowledge alone accounts for variance of memory and development (MAD) is critiqued. Topics include the movement toward a knowledge-based view of MAD and problems with this approach; data suggesting that domain-independent strategies influence MAD; and evidence for a domain-independent tool of developmental import. (SLD)

Examines whether spontaneously strategic children from two age groups differed in the capacity required to execute a strategy. The strategic behavior of younger and older children was assessed on a selective memory task. A significant age difference in the capacity required for the strategy suggested that there is further development of strategies…