The first experiment was designed to investigate the effects of dimensional preference upon discrimination learning. The Ss were 57 retardates with a mean MA of 7 years and 2 months and 35 normals with a mean MA of 6 years and 9 months. They were measured their dimensional preference. Only the form preferred Ss were trained on the discrimination task to a criterion of 5 consecutive correct responses or to 40 trials when he did not reach the criterion. The discrimination task consisted of form (circle and square) and color (red and blue) dimensions, and the preferred dimension was either relevant or irrelevant to solution. The results were as follows. (1) When the preferred dimenssion was relevant, the learning was facilitated; when the preferred dimension was irrelevant, the learning was slow. (2) When the preferred dimension was relevant, the retardates learned as fast as the normals. But when the preferred dimension was irrelevant, the retardates learned slower than the normals. The second experiment was designed to assess relative effects of attention to two dimensions, short-term memory, and abstraction upon discrimination learning. The Ss were 10 retardates who had failed to learn the discrimination task in the first experiment. They were assigned three sub-problems of the discrimination task. The attention to two dimensions in a stimulus influenced most strongly upon discrimination learning. In the third experiment, it was investigated if the classification training on the retardates facilitates their discrimination learning. The Ss were 22 retardates with a mean 7 years and 1 months. The results supported the retults of the second experiment.

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The purpose of this study is to observe the behaviors of so-called hyperactive severely handicapped children, to understand the meaning of them and to program teaching methods on so-called hyperactive severely handicapped children. The subjects were three children aged 8:11 to 10:9 in National Nagara Hospital. They were all male children. We observed them during one year. The observing methods are: (1) by comparing conditions when they were in hospital with those when they are at present, to study on their development. (2) by recording their observed behaviors and analyzing them, to program teaching methods for the three children. (8) to examine the relation between their behaviors and physical condition. As the view-point of the evaluation, we used momentum in a day, states of evacuation, sleep, medicine-taking and movement locus. (4) by observing their behaviors which arouse as the output, we find out the clue of more suitable teaching methods. Results were as follows: (1) They definitely showed the much development in their abilities. (2) The dis-oriented behaviors were presumed necessary from the view-point of physical conditions as well. (3) Some dis-oriented behaviors were learned and fixed by lack of new and proper stimuli. (4) The dis-oriented behaviors can be solved by applying the delicate teaching methods. (5) They were unique in their behaviors and so the teaching methods must also be unique.

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This paper is an attempt to confirm from the hearing test whether the intonation would have the information to communicate the grammatical categoly of the sentences; Declarative Sentence (D.S.), Interrogative Sentence (IS.)or Exclamatory Sentence (E.S.). It is, furthermore, measured by analyses of fundamental frequency (fo) how acoustical factor would affect the perception of the grammatical categoly on speech. The hearing tests were performed by asking 46 subjects to identify hearing materials as D.S., I.S. or E.S.. Hearing materials were 195 samples which were uttered by 13 speakers. They uttered 5 Japanese sentences which contained D.S. I.S. and E.S.. D.S., I.S. and E.S. of 1 sentences were a sentence of the same strings. In consequence, the ratio of constancy was 92% for D.S., 89% for I.S., 70% for E.S., respectively.For acoustical analyses, samples which obtained the ratio of constancy over 90% in hearing test, were taken. The results of those analyses showed that (1) the distinction between D.S. and I.S. was determined approximately by the ratio of variation of the final fo contour in ramps, (2) the distinction between D.S. and E.S. was determined approximately by the mean ratio of fo contour in ramps, the value of the maximal variation in ramps and speech duration, (3) the distinction between I.S. and E.S. was determined approximately by the ratio of variation of the final fo contour in ramps. From this study, it was clear that the intonation in speech had the information to discriminate D.S., I.S. and E.S., and that there were acoustical factors to differentiate among them by analyses of fundamental frequency.

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