The relationship among writing ability (measured by writing samples and the Test of Standard Written English, TSWE) and a reconstruction test (requiring anagram solving, word and sentence reordering, and paragraph assembly) was studied for 105 undergraduates. The reconstruction test was a good predictor of writing ability. (SLD)

The importance of prior knowledge of informational content and organization for search performance on a database was evaluated for 17 undergraduates. Pretraining related to content, and information did facilitate learning logical search principles in a relational database; contest pretraining was more efficient. (SLD)

The effects of visual and auditory modes of input on long-term memory were examined in two experiments, each with 40 and 80 undergraduates, respectively. In both experiments, visual stimulus attributes were a more salient dimension than were auditory features in the long-term encoding and retrieval process. (SLD)

The effects of pictorial advance organizers presented before reading a passage on the retention of passage information were examined for 48 children in grade 5. Those given an integrated pictorial advance organizer recalled more than did others on both immediate and delayed tests of recall. (SLD)

A questionnaire to assess verbal and visual learning styles was developed based on the Verbalizer-Visualizer Questionnaire and analyzed, using a total of 477 college students in three studies. The three scales developed had adequate reliability and construct validity. The verbal learning style was most strongly correlated with verbal ability, but…

The literature on the use of hypnosis in an educational setting is briefly reviewed, and a hypnotic approach involving the use of the clenched fist as a conditioned trigger to improve examination performance is described. A study of 60 high school students indicates that the approach can improve test outcomes. (TJH)

Views about the purposes of school, motivational orientations, and beliefs about the causes of academic success were examined in a sample of 119 seventh- and eighth-grade students of very high academic ability and attainment. Results indicate that competitive and acquisitive attitudes may be incompatible with interest in learning. (TJH)

Administration of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (fourth edition) to 60 elementary school students (in grades four, five, and six) resulted in means consistent with their gifted status. Factor analyses, including LISREL confirmatory analysis, offered only partial support to the Binet model. (TJH)

The relationships among intelligence, field dependence, sex role, and mathematics background and achievement were examined in a study involving 287 college students. Number of math courses taken and intelligence were the best predictors of math achievement, although other variables also influenced achievement. (TJH)

A study involving 174 fifth- and sixth-grade students from two public elementary schools was conducted to determine the effects of Logo programing experience on students' problem solving and spatial relations abilities. Results indicate that LOGO programing contributes to student abilities in the two areas under observation. (TJH)

The ABDs of Reading program provides explicit training in phoneme analysis and phoneme blending, letter-sound correspondences, and decoding to learning disabled children. No extensive teacher-training, teacher-aids, or other unusual classroom support is required. (Author/CP)

Students scoring high on the Test Anxiety Scale had lower grades and poorer study habits than their low-scoring counterparts. Amount and quality of study by high anxiety students were positively related to grades; missing classes and delaying exams were inversely related. (Author/CP)

Studies on visual, musical, and speech perception abilities were used to construct auditory ability tests. Correlation and factorial analyses indicated separate capacities for auditory verbal comprehension, auditory immediate memory, temporal tracking, auditory cognition of relationships, discrimination among sound patterns, speech perception…

Chicano mothers were observed teaching their own five-year-old children. Field-independent mothers used inquiry and praise; field-dependent mothers used modeling. Trends suggest that the teaching strategies to which the child is exposed may influence which cognitive style the child develops. (Author/CP)

This article investigates the impact of assigning poor-prognosis first-grade students to separate transition rooms, and contrasts it with giving similar children (transition eligible) regular instructional settings and under an individualized program, the New Reading System. (Author/CP)