If You're Happy and You Know It: Positive Moods Reduce Age‐Related Differences in False Memory

When tested in the Deese–Roediger–McDermott paradigm, children typically exhibit fewer false memories than do adolescents or adults. Here, participants’ moods and the valence of word lists were manipulated to explore the mechanism responsible for this developmental reversal in memory performance. Children (7‐ to 8‐year‐olds), adolescents (11‐ to 12‐year‐olds), and young adults (18‐ to 22‐year‐olds; N = 270) were assigned to one of three induced mood conditions and were presented with emotional word lists. In negative moods, adolescents and adults falsely recalled more negative information than did children, showing the typical developmental reversal effect. This effect, however, was eliminated when participants were in positive moods. The findings provide support for associative‐activation theory and have important implications for our understanding of the development of emotional false memories.     

Resisting the sirens of temptation while studying: Using reappraisal to increase focus,enthusiasm, and performance

One of the major obstacles in the learning process is temptation, which has the power to divert students from even their most important goals (e.g. getting a degree). In two studies, we tested the hypothesis that cognitive reappraisal could be used to successfully resist temptation. Participants had to memorize tedious material while being tempted by pictures pasted on the wall (Study 1) or by funny clips on the television (Study 2). In Study 1, compared to a control group, participants who were instructed to reappraise the task as an opportunity to improve their memory (1) were less tempted by the pictures, (2) maintained their enthusiasm for the task, and (3) showed better performance in a subsequent memory test. Study 2 replicated and extended the findings from Study 1, showing that cognitive reappraisal is effective whether the target of reappraisal is the temptation itself, or the longer term goal. Taken together, our findings provide compelling evidence that cognitive reappraisal (of either the task or the temptation) may be a useful tool for increasing students' task performance and enthusiasm.     

Backs to the Wall: Supporting Teacher Professional Development With Technology

This paper describes the development and initial piloting of a technology based model for professional development, qesn.connection (www.qesn.meq.gouv.qc.ca/connection), designed to provide short-term and sustained support to school teams in the area of curriculum reform in Québec, Canada. The model responds to a design request from the Ministère de l'Éducation du Québec to offer school teams tools and strategies, via distance, for team building and school based decision making. The launch topic to accomplish this is the integration of technology in the classroom, to be followed by the implementation of a reformed curriculum. Two pilot schools offer support and feedback on the model and areas for further research and evaluation.     

Journal reviewers acknowledged

Mediated Political Realities, Dan Nimmo and James E. Combs (New York: Longman, 1983), 240 pp., $10.95.

The Political Uses of Symbols, Charles D. Elder and Roger W. Cobb (New York: Longman, 1983), 173 pp., $22.50/$9.95.

Keeping a Finger on the Public Pulse: Private Polling in Presidential Elections, Bruce E. Altschuler (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1982), 197 pp., $25.00.

"For Immediate Release”;: Candidate Press Releases in American Political Campaigns, Jan Pons Vermeer (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1982), 189 pp., $27.50.

Introduction to Mass Communications, 7th ed., Warren K. Agee, Philip H. Ault and Edwin Emery (New York: Harper and Row, 1982), 498 pp., $16.50.

Discovering Mass Communication, Samuel L. Becker (Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1983), 492 pp., $15.95.

Mass Communication an Introduction, 3d ed., John R. Bittner (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice‐Hall, 1983), 508 pp., $17.95.

The Dynamics of Mass Communication, Joseph R. Dominick (Reading, MA: Addison‐Wesley, 1983), 552 pp., $16.95.

Broadcasting in the Arab World, Douglas A. Boyd (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1982), 306 pp., $29.50.

The Age of Television, Martin Esslin (San Francisco: Freeman, 1982), 138 pp., $7.95.

The Early Window: Effects of Television on Children and Youth, 2d ed., Robert M. Liebert, Joyce N. Sprafkin and Emily S. Davidson (New York: Pergamon, 1982), 255 pp., $25.00/$9.95.

The Interplay of Influence: Mass Media &; Their Publics in News, Advertising, Politics, Kathleen Hall Jamieson and Karlyn Kohrs Campbell (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1983), 287 pp., $11.95.

Television and Radio Announcing, 4th ed., Stuart W. Hyde (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1983), 522 pp., $22.50.

Humanistic Radio Production, Harold L. Drake (Washington, DC: University Press of America, 1982), 116 pp., $19.50/$8.25.     

The Effect of Goal-Line Presentation and Goal Selection on First-Grader Subtraction Fluency

Math proficiency is related to math calculation fluency. Explicit timing provides repeated practice for math fluency. It is enhanced through goal setting, graphic feedback, and rewards. Self-selected goals have potential to increase performance for math fluency. This study compared the effect of goal lines, and researcher goals versus self-selected goals. The authors compared three groups: (a) researcher-selected goals only, (b) researcher-selected goals with goal lines, and (c) self-selected goals with goal lines. First-grade students completed subtraction probes and colored in a bar graph with their performance. When participants met or exceeded their goals, participants received rewards twice per week. Results indicated that the researcher-selected goals with goal lines procedures with explicit timing had the greatest effect on subtraction fluency for first-grade students. The researcher-selected goals with goal lines and self-selected goals with goal lines groups outperformed the researcher-selected goals-only group.