Intended for graduate students in special education, the text presents seven author contributed papers dealing with theoretical issues in the field. M. Faust and W. Faust ("Cognitive Constructing: Levels of Processing and Developmental Change") consider cognitive processing from a developmental perspective. In "Memory Processes in Exceptional Children," J. Torgesen and R. Kail, Jr. review some recent research on the topic and show how the findings may be applied to academic intervention with exceptional children. A. Krupski, in "Attention Processes: Research, Theory, and Implications for Special Education" examines areas of attention which pose the most frequent and serious problems to exceptional children. D. Hallahan and R. Reeve ("Selective Attention and Distractibility") review studies of the selective attention abilities of inattentive, distractible, and hyperactive children. "Optimizing Motivation in an Achievement Context" (D. Ruble and A. Boggiano) identifies variables and principles involved in optimal motivation and presents a developmental framework for influencing motivation. The final paper, "Temperament Influences on the Development of Exceptional Children" by B. Keogh and M. Pullis considers such aspects as parent-child interactions, constitutional factors in personality, and research with children and risk populations. (CL)