This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 20 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) the effect of a questioning strategy on reading comprehension and attitudes towards reading of secondary school remedial readers; (2) enhancing memory for…

The purposes of this study were to: (1) examine the psychometric properties of the Ball Aptitude Battery (BAB) on a high school freshman sample; (2) develop BAB norms for high school freshmen; (3) develop and evaluate four memory tests and a vocabulary test appropriate for freshmen; (4) examine level and structure differences for the BAB tests…

Thirty-five tests which measure cognitive abilities at the intermediate grade level and the related manual are intended to accompany the authors' 1973 monograph, "A Structure of Concept Attainment Abilities." Additional tests which measure these abilities (verbal, induction, memory, spatial, numerical, perceptual speed, evaluation, word fluency,…

The recent phenomenon of the "returning adult" to colleges has raised concern regarding two implications: age decline in intellectual ability and loss due to lack of practice. Literature indicates slight impairment of the problem-solving function until the years of advanced age. The degree of impairment is related to factors of educational…

Overall and specific tasks involved in learning a foreign language and the factors that promote or retard learning are considered. To apply theories of learning and teaching, behavioral objectives for the learner must be considered. A macro-level learning theory is useful in conceptualizing reasons for student success and failure and in…

The implications of Soviet psychoeducational research on learning disabilities (LD) and its relevance to American research and practice are discussed. The first section provides an overview of the general perspective of Soviet special education, with particular reference to LD and its relationship to Soviet psychology and philosophy. The second…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 16 titles deal with the following topics: the effects of teacher-directed lessons on fourth and fifth grade students; self-concept and the comprehension of scientific reading; the readability of junior college textbooks; the…

A meta-analysis of findings from 24 controlled evaluations showed computer-assisted instruction (CAI) usually has positive effects on adult learners, i.e., it raised examination scores and reduced instruction time. Reliable conclusions could not be reached on CAI's long-term cognitive effects because of small number of studies investigating such…

Objective: Catecholamine stimulant drugs are highly efficacious treatments for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders (AD/HD). Catecholamine modulation in humans influences performance of numerous cognitive tasks, including tests of attention and working memory (WM). Clear delineation of the effects of methylphenidate upon such cognitive…

The aim of this paper is to advance understanding of the theoretical basis for the difficulties many children who are deaf or hard of hearing face when learning spoken English grammar. The association between learning syntactical grammar and pre-verbal social interactions is explored and related to the effects of prelingual hearing loss. We…

Because of the great amount of child maltreatment within the last decade in America, teachers are likely to have some of the children who are victims of abuse and neglect in the inclusive classes. It is important for educators to be informed about the negative effects of maltreatment on academic competence, which can exacerbate existing learning…

Experimental second language acquisition research typically investigates the effectiveness of instruction in terms of overall group gains. A particular instructional method may not, however, benefit all learners uniformly. This study, conducted in a New Zealand secondary school, establishes whether there is any relationship between the…

The effects of asthma medication on the cognitive and psychosocial functioning of primary school children with asthma are investigated. A questionnaire survey was conducted in a primary school in Stellenbosch (South Africa) with a population of six hundred and thirty-five students. Among these students, fifty-nine asthmatic children were…

This document presents an annotated listing of articles, conference papers, book chapters, papers, and books published in 1995 as a result of investigations carried on at the University of Pittsburgh's Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC). The publications are organized alphabetically by author and chronologically within each author's…

This book reviews the contemporary state of knowledge on developmental transitions between 5 and 7 years. Contributions are: (1) "Interpreting Developmental Transitions" (Arnold Sameroff; Marshall Haith); (2) "The Child's Entry into the 'Age of Reason'" (Sheldon White); (3) "Is There a Neural Basis for Cognitive…