Do children and adults who are novices in their use of microcomputers differ in their approaches when learning a computer language? Ten fourth- and fifth-grade students and 10 graduate students were observed learning the language BASIC on microcomputers. All sessions were tape recorded and verbalizations subsequently coded. Verbalizations, the number of computer operations executed, and the percentage of responses which were correct were compared for the two groups. The pattern of verbalizations was strikingly similar for children and adults. Monitoring and checking statements accounted for almost half of total verbal output, and questions to the examiner accounted for one quarter. Adults, more often than children, expressed negative comments about the computer. Although computer output for adults was greater than for children, there was no significant difference in the percentage of correct responses for the two groups. Possible explanations for these performance similarities and for the potential of the computer as an equalizer between young and old are discussed. (Author)