An overview of research dealing with the factors of culture, education, activity and isolation, and training tends to support the significant positive effect of environmental stimulation upon level of adult cognitive functioning. (Author/JD)

This study attempted to determine the effectiveness of cognitive skills training on the verbal fluency of children in a bilingual environment. After a 14-week period, cognitive skills training had no significant impact on the verbal fluency of 103 fifth graders in south Texas. (MT)

Described are the development and validation of two computer-based Piagetian assessment instruments, designed to assist teachers in identifying cognitive reasoning patterns. Implications for teachers are presented. (Author/MT)

Used classification and seriation games over 4 months to teach the oddity principle and insertion into a series to Head Start 4-year-olds during free play. A comparison group participated in free play without the teacher-directed classification and seriation games. At the conclusion, intervention students were significantly better than comparison…

Two samples (n=435 and 456) were drawn to represent changes between 1968 and 1986 in cartographic and cognitive map skills in college freshmen. Subjects from the second sample ranked the 48 contiguous states by residential preference. Results are discussed. (Author/MT)

A review is presented of major theories on the characteristics of adult cognition. The roles of social and cultural backgrounds, education, mental ability, and experience as they pertain to cognition are discussed. (JD)

A study was done to examine whether certain observed play behaviors of young children might show relationships to scores of assessments of cognitive constructs. The investigation sought to determine the extent to which responses related to such behaviors as pretend play, sense of humor, acts of aggression, and talkativeness. (JN)

Results of a study involving 431 college students suggests that student construct system development plays an influential role in students' evaluation of teachers. As construct differentiation increased, students were increasingly able to separate task from interpersonal relational concerns in their evaluations of teachers. (IAH)

Three media used in a longitudinal, cross-sectional investigation to determine the rate of artistic development in young children were clay modeling, drawing, and storytelling. The most significant result of the study reveals that artistic competence does not proceed upward across all media as the child matures. (JN)

Study examined mother-child interaction characteristics in relation to the scholastic achievement of elementary students. Researchers videotaped mother-child interactions as they worked together on a project. Factor analysis of interaction variables indicated maternal verbal guidance was a significant predictor of scholastic achievement,…

Results of a study on 10th-grade students to assess the effect of cognitive development stages upon writing showed that cognitive level is related to syntactic maturity across modes of composition. Research data and methodology are presented. (DF)

Results are reported from a study of the learning styles of 306 high school students. The study examined learning style characteristics (abstraction, concreteness, reflection, activity); comparisons between adolescent and adult learning styles; and differences between freshmen and seniors, males and females, and slow-track and fast-track learners.…

This study investigated whether a global cognitive development construct could effectively predict both concurrent and future Grade 1 achievement in reading, writing, and mathematics and whether there were gender differences in the relationship between the construct and achievement. Sixty-five first grade pupils were selected for the study.…

A research project attempted to confront issues involved in facilitating and measuring the psychological development of teachers participating in an inservice education program. Results of the study suggest that it is difficult to create effective developmental experiences for adults, since they tend to stabilize at a particular developmental…

This article presents evidence of the reliability and validity of a new paper-and-pencil test of proportional reasoning, Paper-and-Pencil Balance Beam Test. A Total of 627 individuals, aged 8-47, participated in the 3 studies discussed. Results support previous research which correlates performance on proportional reasoning problems with…