To investigate mistakes in the reporting of diagnostic efficiency statistics, all studies of the diagnostic performance of self-report scales in two psychological journals published between 1980 and 1991 were reviewed. Of 26 relevant studies, 9 had an error in calculation of diagnostic efficiency. Implications are discussed. (SLD)

Analyzes the metaphors and theories used by instructors to conceive of their work with students labeled as "basic writers." Posits alternative metaphors for these students. Discusses theoretical and pedagogical approaches to written "error." Argues for a redefinition of the "territory of basic writing" as…

This article describes an empirical investigation of the extent to which incorrect arithmetic algorithms persist over time. Results with 30 fourth-year and third-year English students over up to 3 months shed light on "bugs," or students' learning of incorrect concepts, and indicate that they are not very stable in children of this age.…

Compared 3- and 5-year olds' recall of a pediatric examination in verbal versus enactment interviews. Found that children in the enactment condition provided more spontaneous, elaborate reports than did children in verbal interview. Enactment produced increased errors by 3-year olds one week after examination, by both age groups after six weeks.…

Analyzes simulated performance ratings on a six-point scale by two independent raters to account for nonsystematic error in performance ratings. Results suggest that rater agreement or covariance is not always a dependable estimate of score reliability and that the practice of seeking additional raters for adjudication of discrepant ratings is not…

Identifies and discusses ten factors that contribute to the difficulties that language learners may have in dealing with false cognates. Provides suggestions for minimizing confusion. (Author/VWL)

Meta-analysis of the A-not-B error was conducted, using logistic regression, on studies conducted before September 1997. Results replicated earlier findings, with exception that the number of trials at the A location was a significant predictor, and the number of locations was a significant predictor of the proportion of infants who searched…

Background: Studies from the amnesia literature suggest that errorless learning can produce superior results to errorful learning. However, it was found in a previous investigation by the present authors that errorless and errorful therapy produced equivalent results for patients with aphasic word-finding difficulties. A study in the academic…

The standard Pearson correlation coefficient is a biased estimator of the true population correlation, ?, when the predictor and the criterion are range restricted. To correct the bias, the correlation corrected for range restriction, r-sub(c), has been recommended, and a standard formula based on asymptotic results for estimating its standard…

It is well-known that for normally distributed errors parametric tests are optimal statistically, but perhaps less well-known is that when normality does not hold, nonparametric tests frequently possess greater statistical power than parametric tests, while controlling Type I error rate. However, the use of nonparametric procedures has been…

The authors offer research studies and other documented evidence that teaching grammar without a meaningful context does not improve student writing, largely because that approach does not address the root causes of errors. Several resources that support this position and offer more productive strategies are summarized, including the authors'…

This study examined developmental changes in concept formation, rule switching, and perseverative behaviors of children in the WCST by altering visual features of the test and using a new test score--the "zigzag" error score--which shows the number of shifts made between two incorrect concepts or rules. Instead of the original four 3-dimensional…

The "perceptual loop theory" of speech monitoring (Levelt, 1983) claims that inner and overt speech are monitored by the comprehension system, which detects errors by comparing the comprehension of formulated utterances to originally intended utterances. To test the perceptual loop monitor, speakers named pictures and sometimes attempted to halt…

Background: Although a number of studies have been conducted on normal acquisition in French, systematic methods for analysis of French and normative group data have been lacking. Aims: To develop a systematic method for the analysis of language samples in Quebec French, and to provide preliminary normative data on early lexical and syntactic…

We used the following multiple-choice question after a series of lectures in cardiovascular physiology in the first year of an undergraduate medical curriculum (n = 66) to assess whether students had understood the neural regulation of cardiovascular function. In health, neural cardiovascular mechanisms are geared toward maintaining A) cardiac…