This article examines the literature associated with social constructivism. It discusses whether social constructivism succeeds in reconciling individual cognition with social teaching and learning practices. After reviewing the meaning of individual cognition and social constructivism, two views--Piaget and Vygotsky's--accounting for learning…

This review is intended to point out the role played by motor skills proficiency in the academic achievement of typically and atypically developing pupils who are attending primary school. First, the interplay between motor and cognitive development will be presented. Next, the cognitive phenotype, not yet deeply investigated, of a…

To the best of our knowledge, the genetic foundations that guide human brain development have not changed fundamentally during the past 50,000 years. However, because of their cognitive potential, humans have changed the world tremendously in the past centuries. They have invented technical devices, institutions that regulate cooperation and…

Integrates recent views of early perceptual-cognitive growth with accounts on the development of communication in infancy. Emphasizes supporting evidence for a view that combines innate perceptual and constructive mechanisms with associative memory in explaining how human infants process information. Also considers how the sociocultural…

This paper considers the insights that can be gained into the 'actual' curriculum, as compared to the 'intended' curriculum, by using an approach which probes the structure of children's understanding. This approach, known as the clinical interview, can be used by teachers and curriculum evaluators to help children understand curriculum content.…

Reviews recent research on retention that is demonstrated without conscious recollection, such as the ability to tie shoelaces or drive a car. Suggests that future research in this field may have implications for such educational issues as the transfer of training and the carryover of abstract classroom learning to problems in other contexts. (EVL)

Argues that the limited resources with which organisms start their development make possible certain kinds of learning which otherwise would be highly problematical. Discusses limitations of the cognitive structure of the organism, learning, and its problems in connectionism. Maintains that the knowledge gained from efforts to overcome problems…

Presents information on prenatal brain development, detailing the functions controlled by the medulla, pons, and midbrain, and the implications for cognitive development. Concludes that fetal cognitive motor activity, including auditory discrimination, orienting, the wake-sleep cycle, fetal heart rate accelerations, and defensive reactions,…

Addresses how existing theories of implicit cognition may contribute to the understanding of spelling development. Reviews adult literature on implicit memory and implicit learning that may be applied to spelling development. Presents a multilevel model of representational redescription from which to investigate the interrelation of implicit and…

The question of how Piaget selects mathematical concepts for his theory is addressed as a problem which may have contributed to a misinterpretation of the relevance of conservation studies for mathematics education. A new form of pseudo-conservation is discussed in which nonconservers of length are able to pick out strips of equal length from an…

Descriptions of cognitive development are determined by the metamodel on which theories and data are based. The associative and information processing approaches have generated much of the research on adult learning and memory. A contextual approach, emphasizing perceiving, comprehending, and remembering, is emerging in the present historical…

Potential differences in the learning abilities of adults and children, how they affect learning, and how to maximize adult education effectiveness are explored. The discussion of the differences and changes in the ability to learn covers such changes as those of physical attributes and mental abilities, as well as the role of both the…

The effects of massed, distributed, and spaced trials sequencing on the learning of handicapped and nonhandicapped individuals for both cognitive and motor tasks are discussed. Implications for the application of the research findings to the classroom for the severely handicapped individual are presented. (Author)

This article focuses on two approaches to teaching reasoning and problem solving. One emphasizes the role of domain-specific knowledge; the other emphasizes general strategic and metacognitive knowledge. Many instructional programs are based on the latter approach. The article concludes that these programs can be strengthened by focusing on domain…

Presents concerns from the literature relating to the effects of computer language learning, computer programing, and the cognitive consequences of computer assisted instruction. It is argued that further research is needed to address these issues if computers are to retain their place in education. Fifty-five references are listed. (MBR)