A fable illustrates the characteristics of four types of learners who are differentiated by a specific learning need (obligation, stimulation, competence, or personalization) and points out the need for teachers to recognize individual differences among students and treat them according to their individual style. (CB)

Examines the effects of individual-, dyadic-, group-, and classroom-level variables on cross-race friendship choices. Analysis shows that a student's environment creates both constraints on and opportunities for interracial friendships. Constraints and opportunities affect both black and white students. (PS)

Administered the Eating Inventory and the Profile of Mood States (POMS) to smoking subjects assigned to cigarette abstinence or to continued smoking. Found abstinent smokers with high Disinhibition Scale scores overate more than did nonabstinent smokers or abstinent smokers with lower scores when participating in a subsequent ice cream tasting…

Examined the stability of two aspects of infant visual attention derived from the paired-comparison procedure in infants tested at 6, 7, and 8 months of age. The two aspects were novelty preference and exposure time. Suggests that both novelty and exposure-time scores reflect moderately stable but independent characteristics of infant behavior.…

Samples of kindergarten children's drawings and language, especially as used in dictation, illustrate that children invent symbols for figures, objects, and events; engage in the thinking processes of organizing and abstracting as children work to portray their concepts; and communicate their ideas to themselves and others. (BB)

Describes a study conducted with 14 preschoolers to determine (1) whether all children are competent programers functioning adequately in a LOGO environment and (2) if individual differences in learning do exist, whether they can be attributed to children's mathematical aptitude, creativity, cognitive style, and computer or computer-related…

The premise that effects of maturational timing are mediated by social context is explored by comparing adolescent girls in dance and nondance schools. The findings are discussed in terms of a goodness of fit between the requirements of a social context and a person's physical and behavioral characteristics. (Author/LMO)

The ten finalists for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education's annual Professor of the Year award give a variety of opinions about the most important ways students learn, stressing the multiplicity and diversity of individual learning strategies. (MSE)

This study extends the previous literature by identifying different subtypes of language disability within learning disabled children. Results indicate that six language subtypes can be derived and that they are both internally consistent and externally valid, being differentially linked to reading and math achievement over a three-year period.…

Twenty-three pairs of twins were studied to determine factors influencing special program inclusion, impact of inclusion, and nature of academic programs when only one twin was included. Twins included in special programs were generally characterized by the traditional academic view of high-achievers, while nonselected twins preferred more…

This paper presents a model for the study of self-instructive learning. The model is based on the assumption that individual differences in self-instructive abilities affect student learning. Application of the model in a classroom situation is discussed. (JAZ)

This article relates to two problems: how to deal with individual differences in heterogeneous classes and how to plan and implement professional development programs in this area. The planning and implementation of such a program through a process of collaboration between researchers and teachers is reported in the study. (Author)

In an interview, Sherry Turkle (author of "The Second Self: Computers and the Human Spirit") discusses the development of personal styles developed by individuals using computers. She stresses the importance of having teachers familiar and comfortable with computers and students having access to computers as tools they use in the…

Reviews recent studies of change in gender-stereotyped behavior or attitudes in children. Suggests factors in susceptibility to counterstereotyping attempts including: (1) developmental level, (2) relationship between sex role cognitions and behavior, (3) degree of consistency in gender-stereotyped behavior, and (4) the role of individual…

Extended research on cognitive factors that may differentially underlie test anxiety and academic performance by assessing differences in (a) information-processing strategies used to encode course-work information, (b) degree of belief in one's negative self-statements, (c) Type A behavior, (d) test-taking skills, and (e) unrealistic expectations…