Single or Dual Representations for Reading and Spelling?

Neuropsychological models postulate that the memory representation acquired for use in reading words is separate from the one acquired for use in spelling, while developmental models assume that the same representation is developed for access in both reading and spelling. The dual-representation model contends that there is often more precise information in reading representations than in spelling representations. This claim was tested in the current study using adult native speakers of English. People were supplied with minimal visual feedback while they spelled words that they knew and could read, and were then shown their whole spelling and asked whether they could improve upon it. People detected spelling mistakes on fewer than one in six trials after the reading check. They also returned many spellings to the original form, and were unable to improve upon them any more often than to change them to something equally bad or worse. The findings favour the view that normal individuals acquire a single orthographic representation from repeated exposures to a word during both reading and spelling. The representation may be adequate to permit successful reading but be insufficient for reproduction of the word-specific knowledge required for accurate spelling.     

Seven-Year Outcome of the Vermont Intervention Program for Low-Birthweight Infants

We compared 24 low-birthweight subjects of an experimental intervention (LBWE), 32 no-treatment controls (LBWC), and 37 normal birthweight (NBW) subjects. The intervention involved 7 hospital sessions and 4 home sessions in which a nurse helped mothers adapt to their LBW babies. At age 7, LBWE scored significantly higher than LBWC on the Kaufman Mental Processing Composite (p less than .001), Sequential (p = .02), and Simultaneous (p = .001) Scales, after statistical adjustments for socioeconomic status. LBWE did not differ from NBW (F less than 1). These results bear out a divergence between the LBWE and LBWC that first became statistically significant at age 3. The findings suggest that the intervention prevented cognitive lags among LBW children, and that long-term follow-ups are needed to evaluate the developmental effects of efforts to overcome major biological and environmental risks.     

The economic legacy of gothic cathedral building: France and England compared

Conclusion The accomplishments of the Gothic cathedral builders are immense. They are usually examined in terms of technical and artistic achievement, however, This seems shortsighted in view of their economic ramifications. The legacy of these works can be seen in technology, specialization and mobility of labor, and procedures in accounting. They thus served as a vehicle for the transformation of feudal society to the early capitalism which generated our modern world.     

Computers in 2001: Preparing educational administrators

Conclusions These findings are important to educational leaders, especially those in higher education, who are responsible for allocating resources for microcomputers. Recommendations for the selection of appropriate hardware can be derived from this analysis of current computer use and of expected changes. That computer facilities need upgrading in the next decade is clear. The purchase of new Macintosh and MS-DOS microcomputers would fit the needs of a majority of educational administration students. Of the program coordinators and professors with computer expertise who responded to the survey, 43 percent believe that their graduate students are gaining more access to computers in places other than the university. College of Education computer laboratories should be more open to students in educational leadership programs, and these programs should make the availability of appropriate hardware and software a priority. Understanding the extent to which educational administration programs train their students in computer use is of paramount importance in assessing curriculum development and its concomitant hardware demands. She has published reviews and articles on various aspects of computers in education.