A study examined the emergent patterns and anomalies of adult readers as they unload information from their long term memory into their retellings of text. Participants were 16 graduate students enrolled in a Reading Education Seminar at Indiana University. Participants formed a heterogeneous group which included speakers of six different…

This review of the literature on the workings of the brain in relation to learning and instructional design reviews recent research on both long- and short-term memory, and discusses findings on lateralized or "split-brain" functions. Problems associated with short-term memory are also considered, and the concept of the Tribune Brain is…

Two experiments examining the "distinctiveness of encoding" hypothesis are reported. The hypothesis suggests that specific forms of processing of events may result in the formation of more exact perceptual descriptions and thus more distinctive records in memory. The two experiments reported address shortcomings in previous research on…

Accurate and automatic production of the basic number combinations is a major objective of elementary mathematics education. Typically, it is not an objective that is easily and quickly attained. Indeed, teachers regularly lament about how difficult it is to get their students to master the basic "number facts." This problem may be due,…

Obtained self-reports of memory abilities and skills from 50 younger and 50 older adults. General rating questions and specific questions about memory for certain types of content were included. Consistent age-related decrements were found only for general questions, especially those assessing perceived changes over time. Less consistent…

Examines (in two experiments) the effects of schematic and proposition-specific processing on long term story memory. Determines that recall of idea units was an additive function of the idea's importance. Finds that both proposition-specific and schema-related processing are important for long-term retention of narrative prose. (SKC)

Based on data from four experiments reported here, schema theoretic interpretations of recognition memory measures are inconsistent with an interpretation jointly derived from the theory of signal detection and Mandler's subjective familiarity theory of recognition memory. (Author/BW)

In experiment one, subjects learned a word list in blocked or random forms of auditory/visual change. In experiment two, high- and low-conceptual rigid subjects read passages in shift conditions or nonshift, exclusively in auditory or visual modes. A shift in modality provided a powerful release from proactive interference. (Author/CM)

Discusses laws and general characteristics of normal memory, specifying how exceptional memory feats deviate from and contradict them. Also discusses research in support of the assertion that normal memory structure is sufficient to explain exceptional memory feats, if differences in practice and prior experiences are taken into account.…

Examined the effects of age, repetition, and retention interval on children's memory of the final occurrence of a repeated event. Found that repetition increased the number of items recalled, and that younger children showed a poorer ability to discriminate between the occurrences than the older children, though age differences were less evident…

Two studies examined the impact of temporal synchrony on infants' learning of and memory for sight-sound pairs. Findings indicated that 7-month-olds had no difficulty learning auditory-visual pairs regardless of temporal synchrony, remembering them 10 minutes later and 1 week later. Three-month-olds showed poorer learning in no-synchrony than in…

A study contrasted the long-term (one year) retention of material acquired primarily through lectures and assigned independent study readings. Subjects were 16 female 3rd-year medical students. Results indicate the study methods did not differ consistently in knowledge loss or class performance, despite substantial individual differences.…

Two experiments examined the effects of drawing on young children's memory of an event one day and one month later, respectively. Children who were asked to draw what happened were as accurate and reported more information than children who were asked to tell what happened, although only the verbal reports of both groups were scored. (MDM)

Outlines the current debate regarding the veracity of delayed memories of child sexual abuse, describes the historical context in which this controversy occurs, discusses the growth and development of psychotherapy for trauma survivors, and reviews the theoretical and empirical literature relevant to abuse memories. Presents recommendations for…

Three experiments demonstrated that increasing the length of a mobile serial list impaired 6-month olds' memory for serial order. Findings indicated that the primacy effect was absent on a 24-hour delayed recognition test and was exhibited on a reactivation test, adding to growing evidence that young infants possess two functionally distinct…