There had been little attention paid to the developmental characteristics of cue mechanismus in the discrimination learning of the mentally retarded children.
This study was undertaken to investigate the development of learning mechanismus in the mentally retarded and the normal children by using the discrimination optional shift task.
Ss were 124 normal and 102 mentally retarded children without remarkable speech disorders. Their ages in CA from 4 to 10 for thenormal children and MA from 5 to 10-11 for the retardedones (IQ 50-80).
The discrimination optional shift task consisted of four discrimination problems: problem 1 provided training-trials in the initial discrimination;problem 2, training-trials in the second discrimination; and problem 3, 4, the test-trials.
On the basis of Ss choices in the test-trials during problem 3, Ss'were classified into one of the following three categories: conceptual shift, perceptual shift and inconsistent shift. On the basis of Ss'verbal reports of the discrimination cues, furth_ ermore, Ss who selected conceptual shift were classified into one of the two categories:verbal medi_ ational shift and non-verbal shift. On the basis of Ss'choices in the test-trials during Problem 4, Ss who selected perceptual shift were classified into one of the two categories:response to the appropriate stimulus in the first discrimination and response to the inappropriate stimulus in the initial discrimination.
The main results were as follows;
1. It was confirmed that the proportion of children selecting the conceptual shift increased in both normal and retarded, with increasing age. The opposite was confirmed for the perceptual shift.
2. In the normal, the proportion of children selecting conceptual shift became higher than that selecting perceptual shift in the CA from 5 to 6. In the retarded, the above phenomena was noticed in the MA from 7 to 8.
3. It was confirmed that the proportion of the mentally retarded children selecting the verbal mediational shift increased as well as that of the normal children, with increasing age. But the propottion of the mentally retarded onos was lower than that of the normal children at the same age level (approximately 20-30%).
From the above results, we found that the discrimination learning mechanismus in both normal and retarded children changed as it follows; (1) nondimensional respnose on the basis of the perceptual characteristics of stimulus→ (2) dimensional response on the basis of the pre-verbal mediation→ (3) dimensional response by using verbal mediation. Consequently, it might be suggested that the developmental processes of the discrimination learning mechanismus in the retarded children would be similar to that in the normal children, excepting a developmental lag (approximately 2-3 years).

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The purpose of this study was to investigate how teacher's questions would effect student's standpoint.
Experiment I
The Ss were 120 sfudents, from a junior high school, divided into three condition groups. Most of the Ss believed Lamarchism as a course of Evolution.
The Ss were told,“Lamarchism is wrong.”(Condition),“An acquired character is not inherited.” (Condition II), and “Evolution would happen by Salutation.” (Condition III).
Three indexes were examined:
1) The questions concerning the information.
2) The choiceo f Ss to choose the most interesting item from the following 6 itoms,(a) approval of Lamarchism,(b) denial of Lamarchism,(c) the right theory,(d) the role of environment in Evolution,(e) illustrations for Evolution,(f) othor theories.
3) Retention of the information:(a) the mistake in Lamarchism,(b) the mistake in Dawinism,(c) the right theory.
The results were as follows:
1) The Ss of Condition II asked more questions than the other two groups, and the Ss of Condition I asked the least.
2) Tho Ss of Condition I were much more interested in the right theory than the others.
3) About the wrongness in Lamarchism, Condition I showed much better retention than Condition II and Condition III.
The Ss are 175 college students, divided into 3 conditions as Experiment I, and each conditionhas two (No-Example & Example) groups. In order to strengthen student's belief Lamarchism, two examples are given to the example groups.
The first index is the Ss'responses to teacher's questions. The other 3 indxes are the same as Experiment I.
The results are:
1) In condition I, the Ss of both groups are astonished, shocked, and disappointed. In Condition II, the Ss in both groups have conflict responses. In Condition IIi, the Ss of both groups only showed interest in salutation.
2) In Condition I, the No Example groups ask more questions than the Example groups, but in the other two conditions the results are vice versa. The Example groups ask most questions in Condition III, and least in Condition I. On the other hand, the No-Example groups ask most questions in Condition I, but least in conditionIII. The No-Example groups in condition I want to know the correct theory about Evolution, but still consider Lamarchism to be right.
3) In Condition I, Most of the Ss are more interested in the evidence denying Lamarchism-
4) About “the wrongness in Lamarchism”, the retention of both groups in Condition I And Condition II are better that in Condition III. And “the right theory” No-Example group in Condition I has better retention than the Example group.

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The main problem in the factorial study of industrial skill is whether skill and technical knowledge are synthesized ability or separate one. Solution of this problem plays an important part in the development of the curriculum arrangement and teaching methods concerning industrial skill. However, recent studies concerning this problem have not obtained conformed results. The purpose of this paper was first to clarify the ability structure of mechanical course trainees, and secondly to examine whether skill and technical knowledge were integrated or separated in ability, and thirdly to show how “Ability of work planning” was related to “Technical Knowledge” and “skill”.
The subjects we re 366 male trainees enrolled in the mechanical (Lathe Mechanic) course of The Advanced Vocational Training Center. They were 2nd year trainees. Test variables were 54 variables in 3 territories, namely, Technical Knowledge, Skill, and Vocational Aptitude. An outline of the tests administrated was as follows.
(1) Territory of Technical Knowledge: we used “Standardized Achievement Test for Mechanical Course” to measure the scholastic attainment concerning technical knowledge. This test was designed to measure 36 variables concerning the 9 main subjects in the mechanical course curriculum.
(2) Territory of skill: We used “Mechanical Course Skill Test” developed to measure skill of machining. The test consisted of “Turning skill Test” and “Test of Measurement Skill”. 9 variables were measured by these tests.
(3) Territory of Vocational Aptitude: 9 variables were measured by the subjects of General Aptitude Test Battery edited by the Ministry of Labor in Japan (GATB, 1972). All tests mentioned above were administrated according to “Test Manual” at the end of the training period in each Vocational Training Center.
We applied the ANALYSIS-1 and ANALYSIS-2 as follows.
ANALYSIS-1: The correlation matrix among test variables was processed by Centroid Factor Solution. Then, Cluster analysis by WPG Method (Weighted Pair Group Method) and Re-arrangement Method was performed to clarify the hierarchical structure of ability.
ANALYSIS-2: Canonical correlation analysis and Factor analysis were conducted to find Whether “The Ability of Work Planning” was related to “Technical Knowledge” and “Skill”.
The major results were as follows.
(1) As the results of factor analysis among mechanical course trainees, we derived 5 factors. They were Technical theory factor, Work administration factor, Perceptual motor factor, products processing factor, and Face finish factor, we could not find the factor having the loading both with technical knowledge and practical ability reported by similar studies. Our factor, namely Technical theory factor, was independent of practical abilities. We could find “Work administration factor” and “Products processing factor” as unique factors. Perceptual motor factor was extracted as a single factor that had high loadings with Vocational Aptitude, and was independent of other variables.
(2) It was clarified that the ability structure of technical knowledge differrentiated the basic principal contents and the practical contents related directly to work.
(3) It was found that “Measurement skill” belonged to “Perceptual motor cluster”.“Measurement skill” seemed to be of similar ability to Clerical perception in GATB.
(4) It was proved that work planning ability lay between technical knowledge and skill, and has reversion to both of them.

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purpose:
The purpose of this study was to compare Japanese and American mothers with regard to their opinions about pre-school education and the areas where early development is desired.
Subjects:
72 Japanese mothers and 67 white American mothers of various socio-economic groups in each country. All the mothers had 3 years 8 months old child at the time of the first interview.
Method:
Three kinds of questionnaires were prepared to examine the mothers' opinions on the goals of preschool education and the roles of home and preschool education in early socialization These questionnaires were administered by interspersing the- m among other interview given when their children were three years and eight months old.
A kind of card-sorting technique was devised to elicit information about mother's developmental expectations through the mastery of a given task which ought to be achieved by chronological age range.
Results:
1. The overall pattern of mothers opinions on the goal of pre-school education was found to be quite similar in both countries.
Mothers in the U. S. placed more importance upon the education of independence and social skills. Japanese mothers tended to give somewhat more weight to expressive activities and school related skills as compared to American mothers.
Furthermore, socio-economic class differences were found in both countries.
2. Although the overall level of mother's developmental expectation was almost the same in the two countries, there were differences on several clusters:the Japanese mothers emphasized compliance, emotional maturity and independence, and the U. S. mothers emphasized verbal assertiveness (expressiveness) and social skills.
There were socio-economic differences among the Japanese mothers;the mothers with the higher education tended to expect earlier development of their children.
3. The mothers' views of the allocation of socialization responsibility were roughly similar in the two countries. The greatest discrepancy between the two countries was found in the opinions on the responsibility for training social skills.
Among Japanese mothers, socio-economic class differences were found;the mothers of the new middle class (white-collar group with higher education in urban area) tended to put emphasize on their own responsibility in socialization.
4. The greatest national difference was found in the mothers' opinions about four sources (parents' help, teachers' help, child's natural ability, luck) that contributed to the success of the child in school. The U. S. mothers assigned more importance to parental assistance than did the Japanese mothers, while Japanese mothers attributed more importance to the child's natural ability and luck than did their counterparts in the U. S.
These results indicate that the sense of effectiveness that parents have with regard to their influence on child's performance is considerably different between the U. S. mothers and the Japanese mothers. Among Japanese mothers, responses on this questionnaire correlate with the opinions on mother's responsibility in socialization: the mothers who emphasize their own responsibility put more importance to parental help and encouragement.
This study was conducted as a part of a crosscultural project “The cross cultural study on the influence of socializing agents upon cognitive functioning, communication styles and educability of pre-school children in Japan and the U. S.” headed in the U. S. by Dr. R. D. Hess, Stanford University, and in Japan by Dr. H. Azuma, the University of Tokyo. We are indebted to our colleague, Dr. R. D. Hess for the collection and
analysis of the data in the U. S., and for his precious suggestions during research conferences.

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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[in Japanese]

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