Five experiments examined the developmental relation between attention to target and context information and target memory among second and fifth graders and college adults. Results show that when the context is meaningfully related to target information, adults are less selective than children and are more likely to attend to context information.…

Research is reviewed on the effects of stimulant drugs on the classroom behavior and academic achievement of hyperactive children. Results indicate that stimulant drugs do not appreciably improve academic achievement, but are effective in improving attention span, on-task behavior, activity level, and disruptive behavior. (Author/MH)

A cue-target visual attention task was administered to 25 children (ages 10-12) with dyslexia. Results showed a general pattern of slower responses in the children with dyslexia compared to controls. Subjects also had longer reaction times in the short and long cue-target interval conditions (covert and overt shift of attention). (Contains…

The article describes attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and how it affects learning, notes why whole language provides one of the best settings for students with ADHD, and discusses strategies for adapting the whole-language classroom to meet the needs of many different kinds of learners. (SM)

Article describes behavior rating scales and the difficulties in the use of cutoff scores to identify students as Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Also described are how problems with interobserver agreement hamper the validity of rating scales and the subsequent conclusions that can be drawn about students' behavior. (RJM)

The influence of story schema development on children's attention to television and memory of program content was examined in a study that involved two separate testing sessions. The expectation was that maximum effort would be given to program elements most central to comprehension of a television story and that this allocation strategy would be…

Examines the engaged rates of children in kindergarten to fourth grade for differences and makes some assessment of attention span as it relates to engaged rate and achievement. (HOD)

Students (n=190) from a normal primary school in New Zealand were tested on sustained attention, reading ability, and classroom behavior measures. Results showed that the Continuous Performance Test, the Delay Task, and ratings on the Inattention factor on the Conners Teacher Rating Scale were significantly correlated with reading scores.…

Thirty-four stimulant-treated, academically deficient, and attention deficit disordered, hyperactive (ADDH) boys (ages 7-12) participated in a 16-week, intensive cognitive training program focusing on academic skills and tasks. Intervention did not enhance self-esteem and there was poor agreement between teacher ratings of academic competence and…

A study investigated the effects of microcomputers on children's attention to reading tasks and the relationship between previous reading achievement and grade level on such attentional behavior. Fifty-five third and fifth graders read two stories each, one presented on a microcomputer and one presented in print. Television cartoons and rock music…

The paper reviews research studies on identification and treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Studies investigating the three primary ADHD dimensions of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness are initially cited, followed by a review of research in the related dimensions of cognitive attributions/locus of control,…

This 15-item teacher rating scale measures three behavior traits: task orientation (how a child attends to and stays with classroom activities), extraversion (how readily a child interacts with other people), and hostility (how a child responds to some of the adjustments and conflict problems encountered in group activities). The scale is based…

The extent of variety in structure and format of teaching mathematics in fifth grade classrooms and its relation to student attention was studied. The data for this study consisted of observations made in eighteen math classes for a period of six to ten days with a mean of over eight days. Seatwork and recitation accounted for over 95 percent of…

Data on the early prediction of learning problems was summarized by a meta analysis of 58 studies reporting correlations between measures administered in kindergarten or first grade and later reading achievement. The best single predictors of achievement were attention-distractibility, internalizing behavior problems, and language variables.…

Three studies obtained teacher-reported prevalence rates for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and other behavior disorders using the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) criteria; compared rates with the prevalence for DSM-III-R and DSM-III within the same population of elementary students; examined the…