Comments on the ideas espoused by Smedslund (PS 522 552) in this issue. Agrees to the idea of spending more intellectual energy in distinguishing between a priori and empirical hypotheses but emphasizes that concepts are not always accurate reflections of reality and that even empirical disconfirmation of an a priori hypothesis sometimes can…

Examined the possible existence, direction, and nature of subconscious, cognitive biases in participants' quality attributions to maternal and nonmaternal child-care interactions, the relationship of such biases to subject's background, and their attitudes toward child care and maternal employment. Potential explanations for the biases and the…

Eight elementary school students who exhibited articulation impairments outside the treatment setting but not in treatment were provided with an articulatory self-monitoring strategy. No subject clearly demonstrated a positive treatment effect. Differences in variables between this study and earlier studies with positive treatment effects are…

Following a discussion of the research-to-support-theory (RTST) model and problems with its use in research on computer-based instruction, the instructional development (ID) model is proposed. Definition, design, development, and dissemination stages of the ID model are described. Advantages of this model, particularly the inclusion of expert…

Several issues related to the design and reporting of results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) are discussed in the context of current expectations for the NAEP and its origins. These issues include: (1) content coverage and format; (2) estimation procedures; and (3) reporting problems. (SLD)

Discusses difficulties of examining Jean Piaget's work, caused in part by his own revisions and earlier, inadequate interpretation in English translation. Examines common misunderstandings of Piagetian developmental stages and similar misinterpretations of his ideas on education. Focuses on importance of other disciplines, including psychology and…

Implications of ignoring correlated error on parameter estimates in some simple structural equation models are examined. It is shown analytically and empirically through simulation that ignoring positive between-construct correlated error overestimates the structural parameter linking the two constructs. Effects become more pronounced with…

Discusses the importance of validating research data from questionnaires, exploring the difficulties presented in an attempt to validate questionnaire data regarding students' attitudes toward learning English in Japan. (Author/CB)

Reviews the six cross-cultural research articles in this issue. The articles document diverse environments of child development; explore universality and variation in mothers' and children's behavior; and delineate relationships between culture, parental behavior, and developmental outcomes. A strength of the research is its collection of…

This article argues that current models of intervention for infants and toddlers with disabilities suffer from conflicting research results and practical implementation problems and discusses alternative approaches, including the need for comprehensive needs assessment, protocols for matching services with needs, interagency system changes, and a…

Of three methods (free recall, verbally prompted recall, and visually prompted recall) for eliciting understanding of a folk tale by 35 adolescents with intellectual disability, none proved significantly better in eliciting story understanding. All measures correlated with short-term memory, suggesting that subjects' difficulty encoding stories…

Reviews three areas of limitations in the comparative evaluations of early intervention alternatives for disabled children presented in this volume: (1) inaccurate outcomes measures; (2) a misconception of parent training programs as representing true family involvement; (3) and the lack of control over the integrity of treatment given study…

Meta-analysis of 143 effect sizes in 43 studies of adventure programming for adolescents found an overall effect size of 0.31. Summary effect sizes of outcome categories differed significantly among categories, however. Effect size was related to program length and participant age but not to delinquent status. Discusses the lack of pertinent…

Examines role of longitudinal data in diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of internalizing disorders in children and adolescents. Suggests that internalizing disorders in children and adolescents are highly prevalent, frequently comorbid with other childhood disorders, and persistent over time. Adds that considerable amount of instability…

Responds to an article in the same journal on the rhetoric of whole language. Challenges issues of representation, motives involved, and the small unrepresentative sample involved. Discusses the rhetoric of camouflage. (SR)