Discusses ontogeny and phylogeny in Piaget's work, differences between Piagetian (constructivist) and Darwinian (selectionist) approaches, and problems associated with transposing conceptual systems from one field to another. (RH)

Argues that linguistic communication allows the incorporation of individual, microsociological, and macrosociological levels of analysis into a general theory of action. (RH)

Reports studies conducted to clarify the development of children's knowledge and understanding of the types of stimulus conditions and cognitive activity that are likely to help or impair their own self-control. It was found that children's knowledge of effective delay strategies was related to their actual ability to delay gratification. (RH)

Reports an evaluation of the perceived visibility and quality of human development journals in France, Great Britain, and West Germany. Overall, the dominance of English-language journals (and especially American journals) is notable. Achieving particular international prominence were "Child Development,""Developmental…

Proposes a framework which builds on theories of subjective expectations and which combines a new model of beliefs about control with a process model of intentional action. Applications to the study of control beliefs on cognitive performance are outlined. (RH)