Infants were tested for unimanual handedness at weekly intervals for a 14-week period beginning with the week of onset of duplicated syllable babbling. Group analyses indicating effects of sex and/or birth order on fluctuations and date review for individual infants suggested considerable variability across infants in occurrence and/or timing of…

A review of current research in bilingualism reveals much attention being given to the role of the brain's right hemisphere in linguistic production. It is proposed that application of findings in second-language learning research and applied linguistics would give experimental support to the existing neurolinguistic theories. (MSE)

Two studies evaluated the interhemispheric transmission deficit explanation of reading disability by comparing second- and sixth-grade normal and poor readers on learning and discrimination tasks involving hemispheric presentations of visual stimuli. Results suggested verbal processing rather than interhemispheric transmission as a cause of group…

The modified stage hypothesis, which predicts the balance of right v. left hemisphere involvement in learning or acquisition of languages, is examined and an apparent contradiction is found between conclusions from experimental findings supporting the hypothesis and Krashen's Monitor theory underlying it. (MSE)

Research in the neurosciences is supplying much useful information for teachers and curriculum planners. Particularly promising areas of study are brain growth, periodization, and cerebral lateralization and dominance. More interactions between researchers in learning psychology, curriculum design, and the neurosciences is necessary. (FG)

Neuropsychologically based intervention approaches for learning disabled students are reviewed. The approaches, which are in the areas of neurological organization, psycholinguistics, and perceptual motor skills, are also evaluated for their effectiveness in terms of theory and practice. (CJ)

Tachistoscopic tests to identify three-letter words and simple geometric shapes were administered to 64 Italian children, ages 7-8. Results showed no significant differences in visual perceptual threshold between the two hemifields for either test, which was interpreted as confirming a lesser and not definitely determined lateralization in…

The author shares his own experiences in the design of culturally appropriate human resources development programs in Asia. He discusses the differences in cognitive models of causation: Japanese cognition and western cognition. (CT)

Horizontal vs vertical associative memory is defined. Vertical associative memory involves chunking--specifying new nodes representing combinations of old nodes. Chunking is the basis of semantic memory and cognitive learning. The hippocampal (limbic) arousal system is critical to the chunking process; its disruption produces the amnesic syndrome.…

The application of electrophysiologic measurement techniques in the study of mental retardation, autism, and other disorders previously considered "behavioral" or "psychological" is discussed. (Author)

A review of the representative research and theoretical literature on right hemisphere processes and psychophysiological models regarding the functional organization of the brain is presented. (Author)

Forty-three learning disabled children referred to a medical outpatient clinic because of reading difficulties were evaluated and followed for a period of five-seven years to study the course of their reading achievement and its relationship over time to various characteristics. (DLS)

The review examines issues and research relating to the involvement of the central nervous system in reading disorders. Questions regarding subtypes, pre- and perinatal influences, genetics, sex differences, and early identification are briefly surveyed along with a summary of major research findings in neuropsychology and neurology. (Author)

This paper discusses the results of two learning disabilities investigations conducted at the Yale Center: (1) research from longitudinal studies on the development of children not identified as having a disability and (2) neurobiological studies that employ functional magnetic resonance imaging. Other ongoing studies at the center are also…

An interview with Dr. Shaywitz , pediatrician, neuroscientist, and member of the National Reading Panel, focuses on the ways the brains of young children develop and what can be done to prevent early learning difficulties. (MLF)