Finds that (1) playfulness is a trait related to divergent, creative thinking; (2) allowing young children to play with objects can lead to increased performance on problem solving and divergent thinking tasks involving the same or similar objects; and (3) play training leads to short term gains in young children's cognitive performance.…

Research on young children and their understanding and use of models indicates that they have particular difficulty understanding and using symbols that are in themselves interesting objects (have dual representation). Implications for the use of symbols for educational purposes are discussed, reviewing several commonly used symbolic objects. (SLD)

Discusses the use of visual media as symbol systems that gather, package, and convey knowledge. Media's different and often unique symbol systems are looked at as potentially serving as cultivators of mental abilities. Forty-nine references are provided. (Author/CHC)

The review surveys theories and models of human development and extrapolates from these to form a composite sketch of the "typical" deaf adolescent. Theories of J. Piaget are examined and the major stages of cognitive development he proposed are summarized. Implications of concepts of disequilibrium and restructuring of cognitive schemas…

Debates the merits of the claim that "symbolic technologies push cognitive growth earlier and longer." The results of an assessment are presented that involved three adult male peasants (two literate, one nonliterate) living in rural China and their ability to recall the text of "The Lonesome Opossum." (25 references) (GLR)

Discusses ideas from Vygotsky, Leont'ev and Bakhtin to show how fantasy play acts as its own zone of proximal development that contributes to the development of symbolic mediation, the appropriation of social roles and symbols, and the preschool child's preparation for elementary school. (JPB)

Demonstrates that young autistic children suffer from deficits in social understanding and symbolic representations of other individuals. Data suggest that the core deficit appears to lie at the intersection of representational abilities and social experiences. (RWB)

Findings from relevant research applying Piaget's theory to mental retardation, psychosis, and autism are reviewed. Many autistic individuals show an arrest in operative functions at the sensorimotor functions. The early arrest interferes with subsequent development of higher-level conceptual, symbolic, and social skills. (Author)

According to Alfred North Whitehead, education precedes through three stages as it develops students' minds: (1) romantic; (2) precision; and (3) generalization. These stages are related to Whitehead's ideas about prehension and symbolic reference. Educational practices should strike a balance between the stages to encourage learning. (PP)

Explores two hypotheses about the effect of symbolic systems on psychological functions: (1) culturally elaborated systems of signs affect psychological functioning in a general way; and (2) systems of signs, when used to support skilled action, affect the organization of human activity. Reviews research that supports the second hypothesis. (LB)