Three experiments examined what happens to reaction time to verify easy items when they are mixed with difficult items in a verification task. Subjects verification of simple arithmetic equations and sentences took longer when placed in a difficult list. Difficult sentences also slowed the verification of easy arithmetic equations. (Author/RD)

Two rebuttals to William Cooley's criticisms of Title I programs in the January 1981 issue of "Educational Leadership" claim he incorrectly interpreted the data on the effectiveness of the programs. Cooley responds. (MLF)

Criteria for suitable research designs for use with large databases are suggested and analyzed. The advantages and disadvantages of several types of quasi-experimental designs are compared. Examples are taken from the authors' research with data from the Manitoba Health Services Commission. (Author/AL)

Written transcripts of spouses' discussions were coded using two different systems. Findings indicate that the results obtained from one coding system cannot easily be compared with results obtained from the other system. Author calls for resolution of differences in coding procedures if relational communication research is to be usefully…

Suggests ways that teachers can collect data from their classrooms and asserts that classroom research that involves a conscious, deliberate attempt to observe, reflect, explain, and evaluate will lead to further insights into instructional practice and changes in that practice. (HOD)

Examines the concepts involved in user studies, information needs, and information seeking behavior to propose a basis and direction for future research in information science. Twenty-eight references are listed. (RAA)

Suggests that designing home-based interventions as longitudinal development research (rather than outcome evaluation) can provide valuable knowledge about ecological factors that affect the development of competence in parents and children and about effective ways to support families. (Author/MP)

Suggests that many of the allegations made by futurists are too casually affirmed and should be subjected to additional research. Alludes to numerous historical and research studies to reinforce this contention. Focuses particularly on futurists' concern with schools, the economy, society, and capitalism. (DB)

The author reviews cross-cultural studies of children's art, with emphasis on the problems entailed in such research. He draws from these studies implications for further research in children's artistic development. (SJL)

Discusses a set of neuropsychodiagnostic rules proposed by Selz and Reitan. That study was found to be seriously limited on theoretical grounds and in terms of research methodology. Sampling problems were indicated, and issues of neurological integrity and learning disabilities were poorly conceptualized. (Author)

Comments on the rationale and methodology of the textual cue experiments of L. T. Frase and B. J. Schwartz (see EJ 203 980) and describes two studies that attempted to replicate and extend their findings using a different methodology. (Author/GT)

Shows why newspapers should use live telephone interviewers instead of automatic telephone interviewing devices to collect marketing/readership data. (RL)

Five major studies of sexism in children's reading materials were critically reviewed according to basic research criteria. Findings indicated that these studies were not based on well-structured designs; that categories were not explicated or consistent; and that foundations to support valid conclusions were lacking. (Author/GDC)

Although it is possible to statistically estimate the degree to which genetic variation explains observed variation in human behavior, estimates of nongenetic behavior do not set an upper limit on the explanatory power of environmental variation. The two categories are not mutually exclusive: genetic variation often causes environmental variation.…