The efficacy of blood doping (infusion of blood into an athlete's circulatory system) has not been established and merits further research. (JD)

The efficacy of steroids in development of muscular strength in athletes is not proven. Their long-term use is increasingly being associated with liver disorders, including liver cancer, and other health problems. (JD)

The predictive ability of 10 developmental variables measured at age five to predict academic achievement at the end of first grade was studied with 40 Head Start children. (Author)

Reviews the literature on course attrition relevant to: factors contributing to course attrition, non-punitive grading, open entry/open exit courses, lack of non-credit options, reasons for withdrawal, curriculum areas with low course completion rates, programs and proposals for reducing attrition, evaluating non-credit students, and student…

To facilitate appropriate line choice for tactile graphic displays, 42 visually impaired Ss traced four types of tactile lines in a simple display (without intersections), and in a complex display (having intersections). (Author)

This study shows a consistent tendency to underestimate the finishing times of first- and second-time marathon runners. (MM)

Vocational Preference Inventory (VPI) was used to discriminate counselors rated as highly effective, as average, or as ineffective. Results indicated significant correlations between tested personality characteristics and rated job performances. Employment level, sex, age, certification, and degree status were of no significance in predicting…

Concludes that youth confers no immediate advantage in learning to pronounce foreign sounds. (RL)

Three experiments examined effects of language on developing knowledge of distinction between real and apparent properties. Found that when Spanish verbs for "to be" -- "Ser" and "Estar" -- were substituted for "is,""Ser" gave the Spanish-speaking and bilingual speakers a unique advantage in…

Three experiments explored effects of stimulus and task factors on tendency to categorize according to taxonomic relations when those relations conflict with appearances. When provided with information that constrained categorization, preschoolers and adults reliably based their decisions on taxonomic relations between physically dissimilar items.…

Tested 4-month-olds' memory for surface feature and location information following brief occlusions. Found that when target objects were images of female faces or monochromatic asterisks, infants increased looking times following changes in identity or color but not changes in location or combinations of feature and location. When objects were…

Focusing on the higher education system in Nigeria, seeks to take a fresh look at issues involved in its perceived decline, to identify and analyze main factors working against positive system performance, and to make suggestions on system adaptability with a view to ensuring sustainability and averting total collapse. (EV)

Focuses on the convergent rationale and use of media within performance centered design and how that can affect user performance using real-time electronic performance support system appliance design. Discusses the more effective time-based, interactive, and synchronized media types that have become viable with technological advancements.…

Describes STEP (Systems for Training, Evaluation, and Performance), a model consortium of senior training professionals for performance improvement. STEP activities are described, including networking and projects; costs, management, and replication of the model are also discussed. (LRW)

Defines and describes entrepreneurial creativity, which is the generation and implementation of novel, appropriate ideas to establish a new venture. Discusses the need for motivational synergy, which results when strong levels of personal interest and involvement are combined with the promise of rewards that confirm competence. (Author/CR)