A technique is introduced to study the flow of information through processing stages in choice reaction time tasks. It was designed to determine whether response preparation can begin before stimulus identification is complete ("continuous" models) or if a stimulus must be fully identified prior to any response activation…

Differences between learning disabled and nonlearning disabled children's paired-associate learning can be eliminated by using instructional modifications. Procedures that reduce the "overloading" of the learning disabled students' cognitive processes have positive effects on associative learning. (CJ)

Tests the hypotheses that superiority of semantic over phonetic encoding increases with age, and that the superiority of multiple-dimension encoding over single-dimension encoding emerges with age. Elementary, secondary, and graduate students judged words on various dimensions of the semantic differential in an incidental memory task. (Author/SS)

This "Zielsprache Englisch" Discussion consists of 8 articles on pattern drill. They will be found under the authors' names: Freudenstein, R.; Gutschow, H.; Hill, L. A.; Mugglestone, P.; Piepho, H-E; Raasch, A.; Schmitz, A.; Schrand, H. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

Two adults with severe mental retardation were assessed for correct pointing responses to line drawings of required eating utensils. Following tact intervention, mands for two of three utensils emerged. Results suggest transfer from tact variables to the conditioned establishing operation may be facilitated by cultivating a minimal mand…

Describes The Audio Interactive Tutor (TAIT), an interactive audio/oral computer-assisted study device. TAIT's output consists of explanations and examples along with commands and questions requiring responses from the user. It uses speech recognition to determine the responses made by the user and constructs an evolving model of what the user…

Demonstrated the emotion-specific priming effects of negatively valenced emotions (anger, sadness, and fear) in a divided attention task. Results indicated that a negative emotion displayed by a target that matched the emotion induced by a priming manipulation was significantly stronger than an incongruous priming manipulation and displayed…

In the present study, it was hypothesized that (1) changes in (1) state anxiety from rest to the beginning of a speech (sensitization), in (2) changes in state anxiety during the first minute of the speech presentation (habituation 1), and in (3) state anxiety during the last minute of the speech presentation (habituation 2) are all significant…

Many studies have analysed how goal directed movements are corrected in response to changes in the properties of the target. However, only simple movements to single targets have been used in those studies, so little is known about movement corrections under more complex situations. Evidence from studies that ask for movements to several targets…

Rabbits were given reinforced training of the nictitating membrane (NM) response using separate conditioned stimuli (CSs), which were a tone, light, and/or tactile vibration. Then, two CSs were compounded and given further pairings with the unconditioned stimulus (US). Evidence of both overexpectation and summation effects appeared. That is,…

The present investigation is a study of the development of adjective definitions given by participants in Grades 6 and 10 and by young adults, as well as the influence of word frequency on those definitions. A total of 150 participants (50 per age group) wrote definitions for 6 high-frequency and 6 low-frequency adjectives. Adjective definitions…

One snake-phobic woman and one spider-phobic woman, after having received systematic desensitization, were exposed to a live snake or spider in a caged or an uncaged condition. The implications of these findings for the external validity of the behavioral approach test are discussed. (EJT)

The visual scanning of redundant and random spatial configurations of two-digit numbers was investigated in a target recognition task. The experimental technique involved a brief exposure of a probe (a two-digit number) at the center of the visual field, followed by a spatial pattern of 16 two-digit numbers which included the matching target in…

The spatial layout of visual displays was evaluated by means of three magnitude estimation tasks and one reproduction task. Each stimulus display consisted of 16 randomly-drawn, two-digit numbers. Six different spatial layouts, or display types, were used: systematic vs. random spatial order of numbers; regular vs. irregular boundaries of the…

A study was conducted to examine the ways individuals in organizations interpreted and responded to ambiguous messages. Using Karl Weick's model of organizing, investigators measured the number of rules (criteria for taking action), the number of people, and the frequencies of message categories generated in two simulated organizations comprised…