In two studies with 50 male and 50 female undergraduates, differences in learning highly interfering paired-associate discrimination tasks were compared with or without visual mediational cues and with aural cues only. Visual mediational instruction reduced interference between similar signals and facilitated their association with the correct…

This study found that the responses of 40 institutionalized adults with moderate mental retardation to the tasks of discriminating emotions and expressing empathy were poor in contrast to those with mild mental retardation. Of individuals with mild mental retardation, those with no chronic challenging behaviors scored better than those with…

Presents the results of a study designed to test ability to discriminate sound intensity modulations. Examines time required for making correct discriminations of stimuli that increased, decreased, or remained the same in intensity. Concludes that both musicians and nonmusicians perceive intensity decreases more easily than increases. (DK)

We investigated learning-related changes in amplitude, scalp topography, and source localization of the mismatch negativity (MMN), a neurophysiological response correlated with auditory discrimination ability. Participants (n = 32) underwent two EEG recordings while they watched silent films and ignored auditory stimuli. Stimuli were a standard…

A rapidly learned odor discrimination task based on spontaneous foraging behavior of the rat was used to evaluate the role of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors (NMDARs) in ongoing memory consolidation. Rats were trained in a single session to discriminate among three odors, one of which was associated with palatable food reward. Previous…

Teaching activities are suggested for the development of aural language programs. (JH)

A two-phased training study attempted (1) to accelerate the rate at which a total of 8 severely and profoundly retarded children (mean age 57 months) developed the Piagetian concept of object permanence and (2) to demonstrate generalization of the higher performance on object permanence scale to other scales of sensorimotor intelligence and to the…

Described are three experiments which probed children's sensitivity to structure or organization in visual patterns. Each experiment employed a different paradigm (complexity judgment, discrimination learning, recognition learning, and memory) in order to tap different aspects of children's use of structural information. Subjects were children in…

This paper examines the perceptual processes that underlie normal language acquisition with relation to perceptual dysfunctions in the aphasic child. Experiments are cited which seem to indicate that auditory dyfunctions may underlie language impairment. Experimental studies of the linguistic systems of the aphasic child seem to support the theory…

The study focuses on the possibility that the tendency of academic underachievers to respond in terms of all inclusive language is indicative of their incapacity to discriminate the uniquely meaningful aspects of their environment. The authors hypothesize that academic achievers would differ significantly from academic underachievers in their…

One hundred twenty-eight preschool boys were subjects in a 4x2x2 factorial design to investigate the change in reinforcer efficacy as a function of prior stimulus exposure. The factors were: (1) amount of repetition, 5, 25, 45, or 65; (2) reinforcer, good or bell; and (3) satiator, good or bell. Two additional groups were run as control groups to…

The incidental learning effects of discrimination which would be required in searching for and selecting related information in a text were explored. Sixty-one students from three educational psychology classes at Fairleigh-Dickinson University participated. Subjects were randomly assigned to four experimental groups and were given reading search…

Discussion centered on three sets of factors that may influence the variability observed in "concept identification" (concept formation and discrimination learning) studies: stimulus characteristics, incentives employed, and subject characteristics. Stimulus characteristics are described in terms of the number of dimensions…

The purpose of the study was to test the discriminative cue hypothesis by attempting to train pupils to increase effort following a high expectancy condition and to reduce effort following a low expectancy condition. Fourth grade high-IQ low achievers were used as subjects in the study, because the authors felt that while they would learn fast,…

Three experiments compared cognitive processes in Caucasian nursery school children from different socioeconomic backgrounds who were equated for performance on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. The first demonstrated that children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds experience more difficulty in solving a series of extradimensional and…