Comparisons of research on theory of mind and on social development yield divergent conclusions regarding children's awareness of others' internal states. This divergence reflects differences in methodology of the two models and in researchers' framing of the problem of understanding others' mental states. Argues that children's understandings of…

Presents a model of the development of desociocentering, decentering relative to the social group, which is based on Piagetian research and theory and Wernerian concepts. (Author/SS)

Researchers concerned with the issue of children's play are urged to read the book "Children's Play: Current Theory and Research" edited by D. J. Pepler and K. H. Rubin which provides an up-to-date review of the conceptual, methodological and developmental issues related to children's play. (MP)

Focuses on the role of instinctual and affective forces in internalization, a process identified by Piaget and Vygotsky as the primary mechanism underlying the development of higher mental structures and functions. Discusses the theory of contemporary psychoanalyst Hans Loewald, who shares Piaget's and Vygotsky's emphasis on internalization but…

Offers a theoretical and methodological approach to study of children's socio-cognitive interaction. Observation of object-centered activities among three age groups of children showed different modes of collaboration. Processes were similar across age groups; roots of basic peer interaction patterns reach back into infancy. Similarities across…

Comments on Verba's ideas about collaboration in peer interaction in this issue. Praises Verba for setting new direction in the study and understanding of social processes in cognitive development and for establishing important continuities in how children communicate with peers. Notes that Verba's analyses suggest natural categories of…