The implications of current theories of intrinsic motivation for educational practices for mildly handicapped learners are reviewed. The interaction of classroom demand environments, the effects of teacher reward and punishment, and individual differences in intrinsic motivation are discussed in relation to behavioral effectiveness and to academic…

Issues include consistent individual differences in children's strategy choices, interpretation of differences within a framework, and the relation of differences to standardized test performance. (RJC)

Describes a study of the learning projects completed by 41 adult male community college students. The 290 learning projects completed by the students were usually self-planned, active, viewed enthusiastically, and conducted for pragmatic motives. Differences in learning behaviors related to locus of control were examined. (DMM)

Describes positive and negative aspects of employment and unemployment in a balance sheet framework. Discusses the value of the balance sheet approach in understanding individual differences in reactions to unemployment. (Author/KS)

Summarizes data on developmental patterns in constructive play--play in which children use play materials to make something. Reviews knowledge about developmental correlates and effects of constructive play behavior and examines methodological and theoretical issues. (NH)

Focuses on students' immediate behavioral and cognitive responses and short-term outcomes during seatwork tasks. Twenty-four first graders in six classrooms were observed for the (1) apparent focus of attention, (2) nature of involvement with instructional stimuli, (3) initiative taken to seek help, (4) level of success, and (5) perceptions of…

The first and founding conference of the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction was held in Belgium from June 10-13, 1985. This article concentrates on highlights that suggest intersections between three of the six conference themes: problem-solving; cognition-motivation interaction; and individual differences. Conference…

Because visual short-term memory deficits are common in children with reading problems, a series of experiments were reviewed which examined the role of phonological processes in short-term memory. Results suggest that both developmental and individual differences in verbal memory span are related to efficient phonological processes. (Author/DB)

Describes two types of feedback (explicit and implicit) in the responses of four mothers to their two-year-old children and investigates whether these mothers respond differentiallly to their children's well-formed and ill-formed utterances with either type of feedback. Results demonstrate that a high proportion of maternal responses qualify as…

Four issues involving the student-athlete are identified as important to academic advising: the relationship between athletic participation and academic performance, individual differences among student-athletes, the possible conflict in the role of student and athletes, and the debate over the need for special programs for student-athletes. (MLW)

Four points are made in regard to the controversial reaction times studies: (1) apparatus used is not the best; (2) practice effects have not been thoroughly accounted for; (3) there is some evidence that simple reactions are different from choice ones; and (4) basic data to be explained are those which show substantial group differences.…

Examined how assessments of role behavior in the family and relative deprivation in work-family situations were linked with depression among homemakers (N=130) and employed married women (N=135). Results showed that negative evaluations of role behavior in the family were more depressing to homemakers than to employed women. (NRB)

To test hypotheses concerning interactional histories associated with variation in quality of infant-mother attachment, data were gathered during naturalistic home observations of 60 infants 1, 3, and 9 months of age. Responses were elicited on the Ainsworth and Wittig strange situations. Results concerned mothers' relatively greater influence in…

Compared early recollections of students (N=90) preparing for careers in clinical psychology, dentistry, and law for differences significant to vocational choice and life-style. Results showed that recollections of psychology students showed significantly more negative affect, threatening situations, and less reference to other groups of people.…

Asserting that inclusion of diverse children in schools is desirable, the article presents recommendations for instruction of heterogeneous groups. Suggestions center around such topics as class size, individualized instruction, multidimensional classrooms, student self-management, opportunities to respond and learn, a positive and accepting…