Suor et al. (2017) present a compelling new evolutionary framework that offers an alternative interpretation of the well-established findings of cognitive deficits in children raised in harsh early environments. They argue that such findings do not convey a complete picture of those children's cognitive development, because children's cognition…

Research in the psychology of mathematics education has been confronted with the fact that people blatantly fail to solve tasks they are supposed to be able to solve correctly given their available domain-specific knowledge and skills. Also researchers in cognitive psychology have encountered such phenomena. In this paper, theories that have been…

In an accompanying study, Alibali et al. [Alibali, M. W., Ockuly, K. M., Fischer, A. D. (2009) "Learning new problem-solving strategies leads to changes in problem representation." "Cognitive Development, 24," 89-101.] present an important experimental result: introducing a new strategy can affect conceptual aspects of children's problem…

The expert performance approach championed by Ericsson et al. provides a scientific way forward for research on giftedness, and offers exciting new ways to further one's understanding of the determinants of high ability within a particular domain of expertise. While the methods the authors use are commendable and are likely to further one's…

Proposes a three-level model of cognitive processing to account for complex monitoring when individuals are faced with ill-structured problems (i.e., problems on which opposing or contradictory evidence and opinion exists). (Author/RH)

Discusses the effect of bilingualism on cognitive growth and divergent thinking. That bilinguals have the potential for increased communication and greater problem solving should encourage United States' educators to consider bilingual education as a curriculum model for almost everyone. (Author)

The outcomes of collaboration provide an incomplete and potentially misleading picture of cognitive change, one that is clarified by examining the collaborative processes themselves. Results from a study illustrate the dangers of focusing solely on the consequences of collaboration and emphasize why the analysis of collaborative processes is…

The author examines the nature of reflective thinking and its necessity as an educational goal. The work of John Dewey, empirical approaches to reflective judgment, evidence of students' ability to use it, and implications for education are discussed. (SK)

Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development described what children are capable of doing at each stage of development; new research focuses on actual use of these capabilities. (Author/MLF)

Recurring pressures for fiscal restraint threaten the existence of educational programs, such as competitive debate, which are not publicly perceived to produce worthwhile outcomes. Since debate is misunderstood and expensive, its advocates must be prepared to provide solid evidence of its benefits. Unfortunately, methodological weaknesses in…

A theory of adult cognitive development which includes two post-formal operational stages is described. The paper is divided into three sections. The first section provides background for discussion of the theory. A case study in which various employees in a hypothetical organization react to a problem is provided. Examples of pre-logical,…

Lev Vygotsky maintained that historical and cultural aspects of development started from the point at which humans could first be distinguished from apes. It is critical to consider the dialectical relationship between the individual and the cultural environment in which the child actively masters cultural behavior. Interaction with others…

The teaching of critical thinking requires an understanding of the term, defined in this document as the processes of judgement or evaluation. Informal logic teaches students to understand and analyze arguments which are fallacious, to determine what is valid and invalid, and to evaluate non-deductive arguments. John McPeck and Richard Paul…

The relationship of cognitive development to learning science is considered. Views of thinking from both a psychological and a scientific standpoint are compared in order to shed light on current science teaching practice. Metacognition and problem solving are discussed. (Author/MT)

Review of existing research on the general cognitive outcomes of Logo training concludes there is little data-based or empirical evidence on the effects of teaching Logo to children. It is suggested that current research on Logo should be more directly tied to outcomes related to learning a structured computer language. (MBR)