Out-of-school time (OST) settings are powerful contexts for youth development when programs and services are intentionally designed. "Youth Development Principles and Practices in Out-of-School Time Settings" increases the capacity of students and professionals to facilitate youths' optimal transition to adulthood through maximizing the…

This book is a rare peek into the divergent--and at times contentious--points of view among world's leading researchers on what the condition of mental retardation is and how it should be defined, measured, and implemented in the 21st century. It is a candid and insightful collection of essays from experts on issues ranging from whether mental…

Progress in developmental/social psychology has occurred in three major areas: (1) knowledge of cognitive development, (2) knowledge involving the various concepts related to the self, and (3) knowledge of how to take explicit account of social context. These areas can be integrated by taking a "life course approach," which emphasizes the…

Examines biological and environmental determinants of creative/divergent thinking in light of two studies--one showing an inverse relationship between serum uric acid and divergent thinking and one showing a positive correlation between family size and creativity in upper socioeconomic status groups. Outlines classroom practices that promote…

This article examines and illustrates four assumptions of the sociocultural perspective for writing instruction of students with learning disabilities: writing is a holistic cognitive activity; cognitive processes are learned in dialogic interactions with others; cognitive development occurs in students' zones of proximal development; and…

Aspects considered include cognitive and social development, the preschool prediction of learning disabilities, patterns of environmental processes in learning disabilities and mental retardation, environmental disadvantages, and biological determinants. (Author/DLS)

Suggests that variations in the quality and type of infant care, in institutional and other settings in different cultures and social classes, can have influences on the long-term development of the child's rate, level, and type of cognitive development. (HOD)

This book explores how learning is the lifetime quest to understand personal identity, purpose, and meaning while conforming and adapting to the perceived and real confines of a paradoxical society. It examines the complex social experience of learning, revealing how culture, gender, race, and other societal factors shape and mold an individual's…

Reports on a study of cultural images of people in 5 nations by 24 10- to 13-year-old children of low socioeconomic backgrounds. Finds that 10-year olds focused on the thoughts and feelings of people whereas the 13-year olds included more knowledge abstracted to the country level. (CFR)

Chapter two from V. V. Davydov's "Problems of Developmental Teaching" (1986) is excerpted. Analyzes Piagetian theory, finding it neglects the influence of teaching and child rearing on mental development. Builds from Lev S. Vygotsky's theories to delineate stages in personality and mental development during childhood. (CH)

Reviewed are the causes of oxygenation deprivation during the birth process, effects on the brain, clinical manifestations, developmental consequences in terms of cognitive and motor deficits, and implications for educators. (JDD)

Language abilities in two twin pairs, in which one twin suffered perinatal left hemisphere brain injury, were studied from the age of 23-30 months to 41-46 months. Twins performed similarly on tests of mental development, picture vocabulary, and receptive language, but brain-injured twins' scores were lower than controls' on expressive language.…

Argues that Nigerian tribal myths and beliefs keeping infants and young children from looking into mirrors interfere with the early development of self-concept. The self-concept of infants is viewed as contributing importantly to the way they perceive other aspects of their environment. (RH)

Discusses the development of the thinking function and factors influencing that development, and presents strategies for teaching thinking. (MD)

Explores possible influences on children's early development that originate with parents, grandparents, and even more distant family relations. Explains how these transgenerational influences may provide deliberately articulated strategies for child-rearing or may represent unstated, background values that have unconsciously been incorporated into…