Simulation and real data studies are used to investigate the value of modeling multiple-choice distractors on item response theory linking. Using the characteristic curve linking procedure for Bock's (1972) nominal response model presented by Kim and Hanson (2002), all-category linking (i.e., a linking based on all category characteristic curves…

An item that stands out (is isolated) from its context is better remembered than an item consistent with the context. This isolation effect cannot be accounted for by increased attention, because it occurs when the isolated item is presented as the first item, or by impoverished memory of nonisolated items, because the isolated item is better…

Background: Velo-cardio-facial syndrome (VCFS, 22q 11.2 deletion) is characterized by severely delayed language development. The current study explored the integrity of verbal short-term memory (STM), a cognitive function critically involved in language development, in eight children with VCFS. Methods: Using a multiple case study design, we…

Three experiments attempted to clarify the effect of altering the spatial presentation of irrelevant auditory information. Previous research using serial recall tasks demonstrated a left-ear disadvantage for the presentation of irrelevant sounds (Hadlington, Bridges, & Darby, 2004). Experiments 1 and 2 examined the effects of manipulating the…

A study was made primarily to investigate attitudes of preschool children toward older and younger people. In addition, the age discrimination ability of preschool children was assessed, and the possible relationship of this ability to performance on a seriation task was explored. Quantity and quality of each child's contact with adults over 60…

To evaluate the hypothesis that memories are related to operative levels, children were shown pictures involving seriation, horizontality, and verticality and were asked to reproduce them 1 week and 5 months later. Although memories and operative levels did correlate, the relations were quantitatively weak and were undermined by serious…

THE VERBAL ORGANIZATION RELEVANT TO SERIAL LEARNING WAS STUDIED. NINETY-SIX FOURTH AND FIFTH GRADERS WERE REQUIRED TO LEARN THE ORDER OF ONE LIST OF 14 FAMILIAR NOUNS. THE CONDITIONS OF THE SERIAL TASK WERE PHRASE CONTROL, SENTENCE CONTROL, AND NOUN CONTROL. THE DEPENDENT VARIABLE WAS THE NUMBER OF CORRECT RESPONSES. A REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSIS…

The solution of relational size problems was facilitated when children were told to find the smallest member of the series. Children who could not do so could not solve the problem. (ST)

Purpose of this study was to ascertain the efficiency of the first letter mnemonic as a memorization strategy. (Authors)

It was concluded that the retrieval of information from immediate memory is dependent upon the degree of rehearsal of presented information. (Author)

Examined seriation, conservation, and theory of mind abilities in 16 adolescents and adults with autism, in 16 adolescents and adults with mental retardation, and in 16 normally developing children. Found that participants with autism performed better than participants with mental retardation on seriation, while no differences emerged between…

Examined effects of training in sequencing pairs of visual stimuli on subsequent six-stimuli or five overlapping two-stimuli sequencing. Subjects were 3- and 4-year-olds. Found that few succeeded with untrained two- and six-stimulus sequences derivable from the two-stimulus training, but when given training on only the overlapping sequences,…

This study of sequential memory in 16 children with language impairment found that list-final suffix effect was substantially larger than in control children, even though other aspects of their recall were normal. Children with language impairment were more dependent upon unanalyzed acoustic and phonetic representations of speech. Response…

Knowledge concerning domain-specific regularities in sequential structure has long been known to affect recall for serial order. However, very little work has been done toward specifying the exact role such knowledge plays. The present article proposes a theory of serial recall in structured domains, based on Bayesian decision theory and a set of…

The notion of optimality is often invoked informally in the literature on metacognitive control. We provide a precise formulation of the optimization problem and show that optimal time allocation strategies depend critically on certain characteristics of the learning environment, such as the extent of time pressure, and the nature of the uptake…