Those psychological principles which might aid the teacher in the selection of instructional materials are examined. Since learning is a process which builds sequentially on past learning, beginning reading materials should include words that have personal relevance for the individual child. Meaningful material is learned more quickly than…

The elusive phenomenon of individual learning differences was probed via the concepts of transfer and practice at different stages of the learning process. Order of presentation of two films covering different subjects provided the transfer task. Practice was introduced by five repetitions of the films, interspersed among six repetitions of an…

In this study, prediction of success in programed learning for students of different personality types was only minimally successful because the dependent variables, which were test scores and final grades, correlated r = 0.52. Ninety-seven 10th and 11th grade mathematics students were individually given the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale which…

This study examined (1) the level of symbolic capability as revealed in play, (2) the use of spontaneous vocal imitation, and (3) the nature of certain classes of words occurring in spontaneous infant language. Facets of child behavior were examined during the period of single-word utterances and early multiword combinations with a view to…

A modified form of Sigel's Styles of Categorization Test was constructed, permitting the independent measurement of Descriptive Part-Whole (DPW), Relational-Contextual (RC), and Categorical-Inferential (CI) categorizations. The test was administered to 243 5th, 8th, and 11th graders on two occasions. At each grade level, a majority of…

The problem of this conference panel was to identify, develop, and compare means by which children's motivation to learn basic reading skills may be strengthened and maintained. In this panel report, four approaches to the problem are offered in the following areas: sociocultural influences which help to determine individual differences in the…

An attitude profile of fifth-grade school children on reading versus television watching was prepared, which also collected data on the physical access to books and television sets. Using a questionnaire, the data from 124 responses were compared with the body of existing research findings. It was found that most of the television watching time is…

This study tested certain implied predictions regarding conceptual learning at each of four sequential levels of development: concrete level, identity level, classificatory level, and formal level. For this purpose, scaled batteries to assess the level of conceptual development of children, kindergarten through high school, were constructed and a…

The purpose of this study was the determination of the effects of fluid and crystallized intelligence and related individualized treatments on achievement of mathematical concepts. One hundred eighty sixth-grade students from three schools participated in the study. All students were given a measure of crystallized intelligence (the S.R.A. Primary…

This report describes an automated system for administering, scoring, and recording results of multiple-choice tests. The system consists of examinee station, proctor station, and central computer; the report describes the equipment and the programing characteristics of the respective components. The system is designed for tests tailored to the…

This paper explores the effects of item choice on ability estimation when using a tailored testing procedure based on the Rasch simple logistic model. Most studies of the simple logistic model imply that ability estimates are totally independent of the items used, regardless of the testing procedure. This paper shows that the ability estimate is…

This paper argues that the fundamental problem of individual inequalities in school success should be solved. Individual inequalities exist because present forms of schooling serve only a fraction of the different individuals in the population and because of the absurdity that precociousness in young children sets the standard for school success.…

In latent trait models the standard procedure for handling the problem caused by guessing on multiple choice tests is to estimate a parameter which is intended to measure the "guessingness" inherent in an item. Birnbaum's three parameter model, which handles guessing in this manner, ignores individual differences in guessing tendency. This paper…

This study stems from attempts to develop prediction equations for freshman grade point average for two demographic classifications of students at a southwestern university. Although the particular results are probably of interest only to that university, certain aspects of the study should be of general interest, because, of the 3,237 students…

The perceptual-developmental research of Kagan and Witkin elicited this study of cognitive style. The work of these two researchers leads to the conclusion that differences between graphic expressions of children of the same age reflect differences in the children's mode of information processing. Specifically, this study sought to test the…