Two studies involving 16 and 20 mildly mentally retarded young adults supported a two-stage model for the relatively simple discrimination tasks employed, with initial sensory registration preceding and independent from subsequent central processing. (CL)

Two experiments examined the determinants of children's belief or disbelief of statements made to them by other children. In both, the personal characteristics of the child transmitting the message were varied against message type and age of child receiving the message; transmitter characteristics were relative age and social dominance. (RH)

Facial configuration and height were systematically varied as four different strangers--a male and female child, a female adult and a small female adult (midget)--each approached 40 different infants. The infants responded as if there were 3 classes of persons, suggesting that both size and facial configuration cues were used. (Author/SB)

Infants 5-17 weeks of age were presented with foreign sounds which were contingent upon their nonnutritive sucking. Significant differences were found for experimental versus control (no sound change) subjects. It was found that adults achieved perfect accuracy with English contrasts but readily confused the foreign contrasts. (Author/SB)

A study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of three-dimensional plastic models in teaching 71 visually handicapped students (in grades 1-3) to discriminate major body parts of insects, spiders, and earthworms. (SBH)

An experiment tested for the Moss Harlow Effect in 3- and 5-year-olds with stimulus novelty equated. Experimental groups familiarized themselves with each pair of test objects by sorting them, then received a P or N information trial and test trials. (JH)

Second-grade children were trained on an optional shift task in order to assess the relation between the amount of overtraining and (a) the type of shift executed by Ss, and (b) the breadth of learning. (Editor)

Results of this study showed that the high intralist-similarity groups required more learning trails but demonstrated greater word-recognition skills than the low intralist-similarity groups regardless of whether pretraining was used although discrimination pretraining did increase the rate of learning in beginning reading. (TO)

The relation between type of label and perception of faces was assessed in second- and sixth-grade children. Labels associated with color increased color perception, whereas labels based on expressiveness increased differentiation of expression variations, but not color perception. (ST)

First-grade boys (N=260) were classified according to response style on a continuum of reflectivity-impulsivity using Kagan's Matching Familiar Figures Test. For all groups, performances were poorest under reward conditions and better under the punishment and reward plus punishment conditions. (ST)

A four choice discrimination problem was used to examine imitative behavior in children matched in mental age but differing in chronological age. The finding that older children imitated less than younger children is discussed in terms of socialization. (DP)

Experiment was designed to provide some evidence that motor cortex involvement may facilitate visual perception during the period of perceptual learning. (Author)

Aim of the present study was to clarify the processes involved in the apparent lag in copying a diamond by reducing the lag experimentally with perceptual training of discrimination of orientation. (Authors)

Experiment designed to collect further data related to the type of solution applied to the learning of a multiple-problem (ten) oddity discrimination. (Author)

Study shows that there are differences in the information-processing capacities of touch and vision and that these differences are influenced by a variety of factors. (Author)