Argues that, as scientists learn more about the chemistry and physiology of the human brain, it is incumbent upon educators and educational psychologists to begin to build models of brain function that reflect growing scientific knowledge. (FL)

Discusses several neurolinguistic investigations of lateralization in the deaf. Questions frequency of bilingualism among deaf and suggests other factors relating to structural facets of sign language and to sociolinguistic organization of the deaf community also need to be taken into account in order to explain lateralization patterns in native…

The author reviews the theories of S. Orton relating neurological factors to dyslexia. He further considers possible advantages of a predisposition to dyslexia, including the possession of talents. He answers four common critiques of Orton's biological approach to dyslexia, and suggests instead, the advantages of such an approach. (CL)

We argue that computation via quantum mechanical processes is irrelevant to explaining how brains produce thought, contrary to the ongoing speculations of many theorists. First, quantum effects do not have the temporal properties required for neural information processing. Second, there are substantial physical obstacles to any organic…

An interview with D. Goodman, brain researcher, focuses on the role of the frontal lobes in intelligence and learning in individuals with learning disabilities. The technique of psychic self-regulation, intensive training in active imagination, concentrated attention, and enhanced self-control, is seen to strengthen frontal lobe functioning. (CL)

The authors postulate that dysfunctions in the cortical sensorimotor areas of the brain that control internal speech may adversely affect the learning of reading, writing, spelling, and arithmetic, especially in children who are first learning these skills. (Author)

The authors consider recent research on brain lateralization in learning disabled children that has used three different experimental paradigms, noting that these studies have advanced knowledge about factors that can affect performance on the tasks that measure lateralization, but they do not produce a conclusive picture of abnormal…

The concept of pathologic left-handedness is reviewed, from historical and empirical perspectives. It is suggested that there is no adequate evidence to justify its continued use, and the fact that the concept is still much used may be the result of a desire to restore lost symmetry to the brain. (Author/CL)

Concludes that sociobiology is of some use in explaining microlevel (social) psychological phenomena (although social variables must always be considered at the same time) but is of negligible importance in explaining macrolevel phenomena. Available from Behavioral Science, Systems Science Publications, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY…

What, if anything, do teachers need to know about how the brain works to improve teaching and learning? After all, a plumber needs to know how to stop leaks--not the molecular structure of water. And one can learn how to use a computer without knowing how a computer chip works. Likewise, teachers need to know how to help students develop…

Reflections on the meaning and uses of science and observations about its implications in the study of learning disabilities are offered in this paper. The distinction between science and technology is examined and difficulties with society's absorption in pseudoscience or in science that has been oversimplified are discussed. The field of left…

Research both in cognitive psychology and psychobiology suggests that political behavior is often less rational than individuals believe it to be. Information processing, memory, and decision making are interlinked processes. Studies in cognitive psychology reveal that even though decision making requires rationality, individuals often adopt…

This paper describes three models of brain function, each of which contributes to an integrated understanding of human learning. The first model, the up-and-down model, emphasizes the interconnection between brain structures and functions, and argues that since physiological, emotional, and cognitive responses are inseparable, the learning context…

Maintains that Teyler and Fountain's presentation (1987) contains several limitations, namely, that the authors do not (1) distinguish between learning and memory, nor between storage and retrieval; (2) address the role of knowledge-based influences in memory and learning; or (3) employ concepts that can accommodate developmental phenomena in the…

The article examines the fuctions of neurological and environmental variables in learning disabilities (LD). A behavior sequence approach is described which provides for the integration of both neurological and environmental variables. Implications of this approach for three categories of children (LD--no neurological dysfunction, no…