Two experiments study the effects of structure and content variables on memory and comprehension of prose passages. The first experiment tests the effects of systematically varying the amount of structure present in to-be-learned passages. The second experiment assesses the independent contributions of structure and content variables in…

Research suggests that we process information by way of two distinct and functionally separate coding systems. Their location, somewhat dependent on cerebral laterality, varies in right- and left-handed persons. Tests this dual coding model. (Editor/RK)

Two metacognitive strategies, ARROW and BRIDGE, are presented that can be taught to students with language-based learning disabilities to help them manage the long-term memory demands of middle school and high school curricula. A metastrategy is presented that is designed to facilitate the development of strategic problem solving. (Author/CR)

Extends the concepts of utilization deficiencies in a review of 30 years of memory-training research. Finds that over half of training conditions showed at least one type of utilization deficiency. Utilization deficiencies were more common for younger than for older children and were more likely when training involved multiple, rather than single,…

Trained 3-month olds to move an overhead crib mobile while one of two musical selections was played, and assessed retention one or seven days later in presence of same or different music. Found that infants displayed one-day retention regardless of musical selection. At seven days, retention was seen only when test music matched training music.…

Examined the relationship between infants' attachment quality and attention and memory at 3.5 years. Found that insecure/avoidant and insecure/ambivalent children looked away from mother-child drawings more than secure children. Secure children better recalled stories in which mothers responded sensitively than did insecure/avoidant children, and…

Four experiments were performed to validate the newly developed Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM). Results with 475 community-dwelling adults and young adults and 161 neurologically impaired people in three experiments and a fourth experiment involving 41 college students show the promise of the TOMM for detecting exaggerated or faked memory…

Investigates the age effects on the abilities of older and younger adults in Canada to use contextual information to resolve ambiguous pronouns. Findings reveal that both groups were equally influenced by the contextual information available, although older adults responded more slowly and were less accurate than the younger adults. (50…

Investigates the relationships between the process of encoding and the resulting comprehension and representation of second-language (L2) sentences that are causally related. Results suggest that integration and elaboration had a critical effect on L2 readers' comprehension and memory of the sentences. (37 references) (Author/CK)

This study found that violent or horrible images in news stories increased attention, amount of capacity required to process a message, and ability to retrieve a story; facilitated recognition of information presented during a video; inhibited recognition for information presented before; and indicated that negative images increased the…

Assessed third-graders' phonological sensitivity, working memory, syntactic processing, word recognition, pseudoword reading, and reading comprehension. Found that phonological sensitivity was a strong predictor of reading performance after working memory and syntactic processing had been partialled out. Syntactic processing failed to predict word…

This study compared the effectiveness of spaced retrieval (SR) and a modified cueing hierarchy (CH), for teaching persons with dementia a strategy goal involving an external memory aid. Training of 25 persons with dementia found that the SR procedures resulted in significantly more goals being attained and maintained at both 1-week and 4-months…

Examined the relationship between emotions and the autobiographical narratives of 3- to 5-year-olds. Found that the expression of emotions congruent to events in a laboratory scenario involving separation of two friends was not related to narrative content apart from the specific separation event. Narratives were longer and emotional content more…

Presents a study that examined the reactions of students to a classroom exercise in which students observed how gender stereotypes influenced memory processes. Explains how one student tells a story to second student; that student tells a third student; and the third student tells the entire class the story. (CMK)

Surveys the growing body of research on formulaic language units--or ready-made chunks and sequences of words. Evidence suggests that these multi-word lexical units facilitate long-term memory storage and fluent language production. Examines formulaic language acquisition in children and adults and discusses applications for teaching. (Author/VWL)