To study whether children profit from use of explanatory analogies to acquire information from expository text, 24 five-year-old kindergartners and 34 seven-year-old second graders listened to and had to recall texts with and without such analogies. Analogies provided assistance in information acquisition; the effect was stronger for older…

Some techniques parents use in teaching the content of picture books were studied using 72 three-year-olds, whose parents read them two picture books. Testing for recall and rereading the book were found to be effective for teaching the content. (SLD)

A long-term instructional experiment involving 45 third graders learning LOGO demonstrated that LOGO fulfills some of its early promise when used in carefully crafted educational contexts. There was little evidence of boosting general problem-solving skills as a result of learning programing, but learning geometry appeared enhanced. (SLD)

The keyword mnemonic (KM) was studied in three experiments using 27 university students (15 freshmen) given intensive keyword training. The KM's effectiveness depended on situational factors influencing its ease of implementation. The KM appeared most effective when used selectively and in conjunction with several list presentations at moderate…

Causal ascriptions for anticipated goal attainment and the emotional consequences of such ascriptions were studied in 731 college students answering questionnaires. Internal and external attributions were made for past outcomes. Subjects felt that internal factors accounted more for success, and external, for failure. (SLD)

A structural model of the consequences of success attributions--derived from B. Weiner's attribution model--was tested using 208 first-term college students. Although the hypothesized model was rejected based on a chi-square, goodness-of-fit test, a specification search yielded a model that fit the data and was consistent with Weiner's theory.…

The construct of competence, its structure, and the interrelationships among assessments of children's competence provided by different observers were studied using 76 mother-daughter pairs (girls were 8-11 years old), as part of a larger study. Two major domains relating to interpersonal relationships and academic-related concerns were…

The Achievement Anxiety Test's dimensionality was assessed using data from 378 university students. Analyses suggest the viability of a unidimensional construct, whose ability to provide extreme subject groups showing differences on other characteristics of academic achievement was assessed. Such a scale has potential for separating…

Seventy-seven college students took notes, answered inserted conceptual "pre-questions," or did both while listening to a factual passage. Interspersed questions produced deeper and more elaborate note-taking that influenced recall as well. Note-taking alone was more shallow. Overt review of notes or questions aided recall. (SLD)

Forty-four undergraduates received different types of notes for review of a lecture (complete text, linear outline, or matrix), or received no notes. Any form of notes increased performance over no notes, with matrix and outline notes producing higher recall and matrix notes producing greatest transfer. (SLD)

This article reviews progress toward the development of a cognitive theory of aptitude for learning and presents descriptive and precriptive goals for aptitude theories. Preliminary hypotheses about the nature of cognitive processes in aptitude for learning from instruction are reviewed. Twelve constituent points of the descriptive theory are…

Using Raven Progressive Matrices Test items, this study developed an empirical measure of subjects' ability to create new problems. The relationship between this ability and problem solving skills was examined. A very low correlation was found between inventing and solving problems. Problem creation was more difficult than problem solving. (BS)

The effects of semantic integration training on reading comprehension and recall were examined using a pictograph sentence memory task. Thirty kindergarteners and 30 first graders received individual testing and treatment with one of three training methods. Performance difference of the sentence enaction, sentence control, and practice control…

To investigate age-and ability-related differences in the effects of explictness reversibility, and clause order on children's comprehension of causal relationships, three experiments were conducted at grade levels three, five, and eight. Students read text in one of four formats. Several age differences, but no ability interactions, were found.…

Fourteen groups of college students were shown a 30-minute film, introducing an assembly kit, in one of seven versions of visual-narrative overlap. For best associative recall of object names, results indicated visuals should be presented before or simultaneously with text in dual-media presentations. (Author/BS)