The effects of the presence of an attachment object upon preschoolers' emotionality and discrimination performance in a novel learning situation were evaluated. Blanket-attached and blanket-nonattached children were assigned to one of three task conditions: (1) mother present, (2) blanket present, (3) no familiar object present. (Author/SB)

This study examined the equivalence of objects and pictures of objects in transfer discrimination of 72 children (ages 24-45 months). (BRT)

The relationship between discriminability of scaling stimuli and assessed dimensional dominance was investigated in three studies. Results indicated that kindergarten children bring to the experimental situation a dimensional preference even when the values of all dimensions present are of equal and known discriminability. (GO)

This study assessed the predictive utility of a classification-based model versus a representational memory-based model to account for the effects of verbal training on the acquired equivalence and distinctiveness paradigms. (Author/JMB)

Results of a study of recognition memory showed that 3-year-old children were able to discriminate schematic faces, but were not able to use this knowledge unless given training in attaching labels to the stimuli to enable them to store the information for later use. (Author/JMB)

The effect of shape of frame on orientation discriminations was investigated for 56 preschool children. (JMB)

Hearing-impaired 6- to 13-year-olds (N=24), trained to discriminate between two stimulus complexes differing in shape, direction, and number, were asked to discriminate between individual characteristics in all possible pair combinations. General failure to respond to all characteristics equally suggested that hearing-impaired children tend to be…

When six-month-old infants are preexposed to one stimulus, they are later able to remember that stimulus and distinguish it from a previously unseen, novel stimulus; degree of experience with one stimulus and the magnitude of novelty effect positively covary. Neurological substrates of infants' memory skills are described. (RH)

Two studies investigated three- and five-month-old infants' ability to discriminate and recognize different motions of rigid objects. Also explored was the nature of stimulus information which makes such discrimination and recognition possible. The results are discussed in terms of disruptions in the optic array. (Author/DST)

In Experiment 1, the illumination of black stimuli on white backgrounds failed to facilitate discrimination learning. In Experiment 2, however, illumination of white stimuli on black backgrounds facilitated discrimination learning. Findings supported the use of changes in illumination as an attention-influencing feature of nonspeech communication…

Investigates preschool children's ability (n = 30) to discriminate age, and subject's use of different facial areas in ranking facial photographs into age order. Results indicate subjects from 3 to 9 years can successfully rank the photos. Compared with other facial features, the eye region was most important for success in the age ranking task.…

The effectiveness of different training and transfer test conditions in promoting perceptual learning in impulsive kindergarten children was investigated. The results provide guidelines for designing effective training methods for improving discrimination learning and problem solving in impulsive children. (Author/SB)

Forty retarded children, a Low Mental Age (MA) Group (mean MA 3-3 years) and a High MA Group (mean MA 5-7 years) were trained on 120 different two-choice visual discrimination problems. Initial performance differences were interpreted as a differential preference for novel and familiar stimuli. (JH)