A group of 10 less able fifth-grade readers with comparable scores on a standardized reading test were assessed under reading conditions representing different combinations of familiarity, text type, length, and mode of reading. Results indicated that the students did not perform similarly under a variety of reading conditions. (Author/JDD)

The authors of The Bell Curve have been accused of everything from racism to poor research. However, the book could have a tremendous impact on the role of intelligence in social science and social policy. It is especially relevant for adult education programs geared to the less fortunate, and it is appropriate to discuss the merits of the book…

A choice assessment was used to categorize reinforcers as high, middle, and low preference with 4 males (ages 7 to 19) with multiple disabilities including severe/profound mental retardation. High-preference stimuli consistently functioned as reinforcers for all subjects whereas low-preference stimuli did not function as reinforcers. (Author/DB)

Results of a longitudinal study of seven children under age two suggest that variation in children's early word combinations can be explained in terms of different routes to multiword speech; and a strategy involving the breaking down of originally unanalyzed phrases may be used by all children in varying degrees. (Contains 22 references.)…

Examined the relations of emotionality and regulation to preschoolers' naturally occurring anger reactions through observations of behavior. Children's use of verbal objections to anger situations were positively related to constructive coping and attentional control, particularly for boys, and negatively related to girls' anger intensity,…

Responds to calls for combining the ideas of Piaget and Vygotsky, discussing differences between the two perspectives. Notes that differences are found in underlying assumptions about the nature and process of development, philosophy, stages of development, developmental influences, and the integrity of cognitive structures. Suggests that, given…

Addresses the extent to which differences in Piagetian and Vygotskyan psychologies make their theories incompatible. Differences result from a Vygotskyan belief in a material primary cause for development; Piagetians do not hold this view. Explores this difference in perspective, concluding that, despite it, the two approaches are compatible. (JW)

Reports on a study of 101 Canadian librarians that tested individual differences important to enhanced use of the Internet. Analysis of covariance, hierarchical regression, and structural equation modeling provided evidence that technical and procedural knowledge had a significant influence on attitudes toward the Internet and the frequency of…

Investigated developmental change and patterns of individual differences in dimensions of infant temperament. Rothbart Infant Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ) was completed for subjects 5 times between 6 weeks and 30 months of age. Interpretable age changes were found for emotional reactivity, but not for the index of regulation (IBQ soothability).…

This study, with 19 fifth graders having learning disabilities (LD) and 20 fifth graders without LD, examined cognitive and motivational variables. Although some differences between groups were found, differences in the motivational and cognitive variables generally cut across a priori categories of children with and without LD, forming three…

Introduces this theme issue by synthesizing findings obtained using diverse methodologies derived from different theories about children's friendships. Comments on the trend away from studying global peer acceptance to studying friendship dyads. Discusses the features--individual, age, and gender differences--of children's friendships. (DR)

This article urges educators to incorporate Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences (MI) into their classrooms to broaden the learning opportunities for all students. MI theory is briefly explained, examples of its application are described, advantages of MI are pointed out, and criticisms of MI are noted. (DB)

This article advances a view of disability as interaction-specific rather than person-specific, as arising when the nature of the academic task or instructional environment fails to support adequately the learning characteristics of the student. The implications of this view for all students in higher education are explored. (MDM)

Finds that parent-offspring resemblance in families of reading-disabled probands does not differ substantially from that in families of controls; and correlations and regressions for monozygotic twins are greater than those for dizygotic twins, suggesting that individual differences in reading achievement are due in part to heritable influences.…

This article responds to MacIntyre's (1995) critique of the Linguistic Coding Differences Hypothesis (LCDH), which posits that language aptitude is the primary source of individual differences in foreign language (FL) achievement. It defends the LCDH and suggests that difficulties exist with theories that attribute affective and social context…