Reports on research which indicates that much of the meaning of transcendental meditation (TM) is constructed from preexisting understandings and expectations. Various influences for the impact of TM are suggested including the language, rules, and world view of the social environment. (RC)

Responses in the parent interviews revealed that many trainees were still home based and family dependent. Some parents were prolonging the dependence of their young people rather than reinforcing the independent living skills training at the center. (Author)

Teachers' perceptions of personal classroom control with high- and low-ability students were examined, using five hypothetical classroom contexts. Results indicated that high ability students were perceived as more controllable than low-ability students, and teacher-initiated interactions as providing more control than student-initiated…

Reports on research that (1) suggests that phonetically ambiguous pairs (ice cream/I scream) have been used inaccurately to illustrate contextual effects in word segmentation, (2) supports unitary rather than exhaustive processing, and (3) supports the use of the concepts of word frequency and listener expectations instead of top-down, multiple…

Stating that motivation is a product of the interaction between employer and employee, the authors discuss the "Pygmalion effect" (whereby the expectations of a manager influence the performance of subordinates), the importance of communication, and the components of nonverbal communication: environment, proxemics, postures, gestures,…

Data on teacher expectation research have revealed that some teachers treat high- and low-achieving students differently and that teachers' expectations appear to be associated with student achievement. (Author)

The purpose of this study was to describe the effects of teacher expectations on specific teacher behaviors and student behaviors during physical education instruction. (MM)

Learned helplessness is a state of passivity and loss of persistence resulting from individuals' perceptions, over a period of time, that they cannot control outcomes of events nor can their efforts lead to attainment of goals. Research studies are reviewed and implications for the study of learning disabilities are evaluated. (MH)

Explains the types of effects, usually unintentional, that psychologists can have upon the results of their research; describes the "Pygmalion Experiment," in which teachers' expectations for children's behavior proved to be self-fulfilling prophecies; and points to research needs in the area of interpersonal expectations. (GT)

Laboratory and a field studies contrasted the egotism and expectancy-covariance approaches to attribution for achievement outcomes. Subjects' expectations and the basis of these expectations were varied and outcomes were then manipulated. Results supported egotism, suggesting that motivational factors can determine attributions to ability and task…

While the value of graduate education in business, whether paid for by companies or individuals, should not be unequivocally denied, corporate policies should be re-examined to permit the firm to maximize the return from a tuition refund plan rather than being the unsuspecting loser. (Author)

Examines teachers' perceptions of pupil ability and determines whether their perceptions are distorted in any systematic way by the order or sequence of information they receive about the pupil. (Author/RK)

Results indicate that subjects scored better when tested by an experimenter of the opposite sex and also that there is some tendency for experimenters to receive scores from their subjects in accordance with their expectations of the subject's performance. (JD)

Capsule summaries of eight projects reveal clues to key findings in educational research. (MB)

College teachers must take care not to treat students as a homogeneous, passive mass audience and equate lecturing with classroom control. Rather, they should judge teaching success by what students can do at course's end, reinforce desired intellectual behavior, test in ways that allow students to show abilities, and learn to interpret student…