Four experiments examined the effect of pictures on the recall of expository prose by 171 first graders and 97 third graders. Results consistently demonstrate that representational pictures can facilitate recall of illustrated and unillustrated prose information by children as young as those in the first grade. (SLD)

In 3 experiments, 93, 97, and 86 college students, respectively, learned how to solve 20 verbal analogy problems and took transfer and memory tests. Results are inconsistent with active responding theory and further indicate that schema induction is maximized when the schemas are made salient and the cognitive system is not overloaded. (SLD)

The effects of 2 different kinds of descriptive models (metaphor and flow chart) on the learning of a computer command language were studied for 37 computer experienced and 47 nonexperienced undergraduates (57 females and 27 males). Results show that metaphor improves performance of most subjects on most transfer items, with inexperienced subjects…

Twenty years of journal publications of the American Psychological Association were reviewed for ethnic content. Results indicate a significant decline in the number of ethnic content articles published between 1970 and 1989. Potential factors that may influence the decline are presented, and research needs are reviewed. (SLD)

Thirty-one high school students in Newcastle (Australia) were trained to use adjunct maps strategically while studying a history text or were tested on the text without map training. Map training subjects had higher scores on all recall measures and main idea transfer measures at one and three weeks compared to those without map training. (SLD)

The hypothesis derived from self-verification theory that semester grade point average would be positively related to perceived validity of grade scores among high self-esteem undergraduates and inversely related for low self-esteem students was not supported in a study with 281 undergraduates. (SLD)

Results from a study of influences on the relationship between feedback and response certitude in the learning process conducted with 123 undergraduates show that, in addition to response certitude and correctness, other factors, such as goal and goal commitment, influence the frequency with which feedback is requested. (SLD)

The use of a rereading strategy by 20 good and 24 poor comprehenders (undergraduates) to regulate understanding was examined. Poor comprehenders generally reread more, but good comprehenders were better able to direct their rereading selectively to text comprehension problems and had better text memory. (SLD)

Effects of experimenter-controlled incentives and feedback on the calibration of performance were examined for 85 undergraduates answering reading comprehension and mathematics multiple-choice questions. Results support the hypotheses that incentives affect the calibration of performance and that external incentives can enhance the degree to which…

The roles that knowledge, motivational variables, and approaches to study play in academic success were explored for 104 undergraduates. A path model was proposed and tested, providing a basis for beginning to understand how the approaches to study students select may mediate between knowledge, beliefs, and achievement. (SLD)

Six experiments with 42 kindergartners, 190 first graders, and 15 second graders in Germany investigated why arithmetic word problems with an unknown reference set are more difficult for children than are problems with an unknown compare set. Lack of access to flexible language use makes these problems so difficult. (SLD)

Research on cognitive representation of numbers and understanding of place value of U.S. and Japanese first graders was extended to France, Sweden, and Korea (118 subjects; approximately 24 from each of the 5 countries). Basic differences in children's cognitive representations of number are influenced by characteristics of their languages. (SLD)

Types of questions asked in first-grade mathematics classes in Japan, Taiwan, and the United States were investigated. Observations of 311 lessons by 16 Japanese, 20 Taiwanese, and 33 U.S. teachers suggest that the kinds of questions asked in Taiwan and Japan contribute to more sophisticated mathematical knowledge. (SLD)

A structural model of mathematics achievement was tested with 117 male and 108 female Canadian high school seniors, examining the role of self-efficacy as a mediator between mathematics attitudes and achievement. The postulated model for similarly specified parameters was a good fit to data for both males and females. (SLD)

Studied age trends in solving correlational problems involving over 2 continuous variables 100 Canadian students in grades 5, 7, 9, and 11 and a postgraduate college preparatory year; 278 seventh graders; and 120 tenth graders in 3 experiments. Correlational reasoning skills increased with age and improved through instruction. (SLD)