This first installment in a series of edited transcripts based on a conference held at Utah State University in 1987 reviews the main points of Gagne's Learning Theory. Categories of human performance that are discussed include verbal information, intellectual skills, cognitive strategies, attitudes, and motor skills. (Three references) (LRW)

This study of 52 learning-disabled children, aged 8-13, found that direct feedback and practice improved metaphor interpretation. The approach was highly successful in teaching students to generalize concrete concepts to abstract ones. Further descriptive analyses indicated that grade and reading levels of subjects correlated with metaphor…

This paper reviews the historical development of Auditory-Verbal International, which was established as a nonprofit organization to achieve the goal of increasing availability and effectiveness of the auditory-verbal approach for individuals with hearing impairments. The group's position statement is presented, along with principles of…

This paper deals with the auditory-verbal therapy process as implemented with two children (ages three and seven) with hearing impairments, enrolled in the Auditory-Verbal Therapy Programme of North York (Ontario) General Hospital. The paper contains audiological information, long-term objectives, and a detailed lesson plan for each child. (JDD)

Describes the development of the VV-BOS (Visualizer/Verbalizer Behavior Observation Scale), a computer-based instrument for direct observation of students' preferences for visual or verbal learning material. Results of a study with second-language learners indicated a high degree of reliability as an alternative to conventional questionnaires.…

Objective: To test the hypothesis that patients with pediatric bipolar disorder (PBPD) would demonstrate impairment relative to diagnosis-free controls of comparable age, gender, and IQ on measures of memory functioning. Method: The authors administered a battery of verbal and visuospatial memory tests to 35 outpatients with PBPD and 20 healthy…

Emerging data support the construct validity of component process variables of learning and memory within the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R; Brandt & Benedict, 2001); however, the test-retest reliabilities of such measures are heretofore largely unknown. This study reveals generally modest-to-low 1-year test-retest stability for…

Profiles of verbal learning and memory performance were compared for typically developing children and for four developmental disorders characterized by different patterns of language functioning: specific language impairment, early focal brain damage, Williams Syndrome, and Down Syndrome. A list-learning task was used that allowed a detailed…

Background: The relationship between the age of reaching infant developmental milestones and later intellectual function within the normal population remains unresolved. We hypothesised that the age of learning to stand in infancy would be associated with adult executive function and that the association would be apparent throughout the range of…

Describes a technology of text display that can help to make learning from text more effective. Topics discussed include the effect of text displays on the ways learners process information; implications of these effects for instructional design; and how text displays join with text content to help with verbal, experiential, and visual processing.…

A local California school developed a program to meet language needs of first graders (70 percent of whom were from minority groups.) The program stresses basic concepts, vocabulary development through categorization and sensory experiences, and many opportunities to practice verbal skills with peers. (DB)

Explored validity of new clinical test of verbal memory incorporating constructs from normal and pathological memory research, to quantify the ways examinees learn verbal material. Factor analyses of normal subjects and neurological patients indicated that verbal memory consisted of a number of component factors, reflecting learning strategy,…

Tests 64 deaf students from oral and total communication settings to examine whether a deficiency in spontaneous strategy use accounts for their verbal short-term memory performance. Spontaneous rehearsal of both deaf samples seemed to emerge later than the hearing sample's and was inefficiently implemented and less effective in mediating recall…

Ninety-seven fifth graders took a multiple-choice test with factual and guess questions after reading a 900-word text. The effects of immediate informative feedback, delayed feedback, or no feedback on their performance on a delayed retention tests were analyzed. Results suggested that awareness of initial errors was helpful. (Author/BS)

A review of studies in which signing or symbol use has been taught to autistic individuals suggests that these techniques can provide a means of communication and language development for the autistic, including mute and retarded children. (RH)