This study found that 13 autistic subjects performed less well on cognitive than on visual perspective-taking tasks at two levels of difficulty. Autistic subjects performed as well as 13 intellectually handicapped controls and 13 normal controls on visual perspective-taking tasks but more poorly than controls on cognitive perspective-taking tasks.…

A comprehensive review is given of evidence, with a bearing on the recommendation to avoid use of complex multiple choice (CMC) items. Avoiding Type K items (four primary responses and five secondary choices) seems warranted, but evidence against CMC in general is less clear. (SLD)

Discusses dictionaries for learners of English as a foreign language and reveals typical problems of syntactic complexity, idiomaticity, and cultural specificity that inappropriate explanations and examples may pose for learners. (Author/VWL)

Another Rasch approach to the measurement of change, the multidimensional random coefficient multinomial logit model (MRCML), is proposed. The MRCML model can be applied to polytomous items and the investigation of variations in item difficulties. Some simulation studies demonstrate good parameter recovery for the MRCML model under various testing…

Research on young children and their understanding and use of models indicates that they have particular difficulty understanding and using symbols that are in themselves interesting objects (have dual representation). Implications for the use of symbols for educational purposes are discussed, reviewing several commonly used symbolic objects. (SLD)

Discusses the use of icons in computer interface design. Highlights include picture processing time, complexity, recognition memory, differences between picture icons and picture/text icons, the use of color, size, placement, and touch design. (LRW)

Sources of observed differences in difficulty between items in graph comprehension performance were studied using 132 items from the Psychometric Entrance Test, an Israeli college entrance examination. Results indicate that item difficulty can be predicted successfully on the basis of item characteristics and task demands. Implications for graph…

Two studies compared either physiological signs of fatigue or evidence of effort expended by 20 school-age children with or without mild-to-moderate hearing loss under difficult hearing conditions. Although the first study found no differences in fatigue, the second study found that children with hearing loss expend more effort in listening than…

Investigated the reliability, validity, and practicality of a controlled production measure of vocabulary, consisting of items from five frequency levels and using a completion-item format. Two equivalent test forms were compared. The test was found to be useful in distinguishing between different proficiency groups. (Author/MSE)

Decomposed the learning in the Kanfer-Ackerman Air-Traffic Controller Task (P. Ackerman, 1988) down to learning at the keyboard level. Reanalyzed the Ackerman data to show that learning in this complex task reflects learning at the keystroke level. Conducted an eye-tracking experiment with 10 adults that showed that learning at the key stroke…

Investigates the impact of the interspersal procedure on students' reading tasks. Students read out loud two passages, with one containing additional interspersed brief, easy paragraphs. Students selected the passage that would require the least effort and the least time to read. Results suggest that the interspersal procedure may improve…

This study evaluated an hierarchical intervention with four young children with significant developmental delays. Picture cues and correspondence training were provided at three levels of intrusiveness. Two children required only less intrusive levels of instruction while the other two required the entire intervention package to reach criterion.…

This paper describes an exercise in determining the cognitive difficulty of the assessment tasks in six computing courses within an Information Technology (IT) degree, importing Bloom's taxonomy from the field of educational psychology as an analytical framework. Three of the six courses comprise a Programming stream and three a Data…

The relationship between two classes of retrieval process--retrieval orientation and retrieval effort--was investigated using electrophysiological (ERP) and behavioural measures. ERPs were recorded during retrieval phases of exclusion tasks in which participants focused on retrieval of either phonological or semantic associates that were generated…

Two new tests for a model for the response times on pure speed tests by Rasch (1960) are proposed. The model is based on the assumption that the test response times are approximately gamma distributed, with known index parameters and unknown rate parameters. The rate parameters are decomposed in a subject ability parameter and a test difficulty…