Research has indicated that children learn material evaluated as positive more readily than negatively assessed material. This finding is termed a positive reinforcement value effect. The study extended the research in this area, focusing on the effects of intelligence, self-concept, and age on the affective learning styles of 55 children, (6-11 years old, including mildly retarded and intellectually gifted Ss). Significant results were found for age and IQ in the learning of word paired associates, with older Ss and more intelligent Ss learning the word pairs faster than the younger Ss and low IQ Ss, respectively. Less intelligent Ss exhibited greater positive reinforcement value effects than the more intelligent Ss. High self-concept Ss also showed greater positive reinforcement value effects than Ss with low self-concepts. Possible explanations are suggested and education implications for helping special education children learn in the classroom are reviewed. (Author/CL)