Children perform worse than adults on tests of cognitive flexibility, which is a component of executive function. To assess what aspects of a cognitive flexibility task (cued switching) children have difficulty with, investigators tested where eye gaze diverged over age. Eye-tracking was used as a proxy for attention during the preparatory period…

This study investigated whether children can infer category properties based on how a speaker describes an individual (e.g., saying something is a "small zib" implies that zibs are generally bigger than this one). Three- to 5-year-olds (N = 264) from a university preschool and a children's museum were tested on their ability to make this…

The performance of the older subjects (10 years and up) was facilitated by the organizational cues, whereas that of younger subjects was not. (Author)

Two-year-old children's memory for locations of hidden objects was examined in four cue conditions. Pictures marked hidden-object locations in three of these conditions, and either depicted or were related associatively to hidden objects. In the fourth condition, only blank cards were presented with the objects. (Author/SS)

These results provide a more precise attentional interpretation of both preference and pretraining effects. (Authors)

When reference cues are added to a pattern copying task, males' performance improves, but females' remains the same. This superior cue utilization may partially explain differences in spatial abilities. The present research attempts to determine the optimum locus for facilitation of copying by reference cues. (RH)

Four studies compared preschoolers' fast mapping of new proper and common names following indirect exposures requiring inference with their learning new names following ostensive cues. Found that inferential learning of names and learning by direct instruction were largely equivalent: learning from a situation with clear joint references…

Results indicate that children's preferences were relatively stable over time. (Authors/MB)

Data suggest that the effectiveness of verbalization in concept identification depends on the aspect of the task which is verbalized. (Author)

Results supported the expectations regarding field dependence-independence but failed to support those regarding sex differences. (Authors)

Two experiments investigated 18- to 30-month-old children's memory for the location of a hidden object. Memory performance was significantly better when the object was hidden within the natural environment as opposed to when hidden in a set of boxes. Older subjects effectively used a landmark cue as a memory aid. (Author/RH)

Six match-to-sample picture/object selection experiments explored 3- to 5-year-olds' knowledge about superordinate words and acquisition of this knowledge. Findings indicated that number of standards (one versus two), types of standards (different versus same basic-level categories), and nature of representation (pictures versus objects)…

Tested two hypotheses to account for results of an earlier study in which preschoolers failed to display differential behavior when instructed to memorize itmes or merely to examine them perceptually. Subjects included second and fifth graders as well as preschoolers. (CW)

It is suggested that field dependents have more difficulty than field independents in giving up reliance on a formerly relevant cue. (Authors/CB)

Used shift-rate recovery method in three experiments to examine extent to which 6-month-olds find perceptual cues such as density and length useful in discrimination of linearly arranged sets of large numbers of objects. Found that infants can discriminate between large number sets by relying on absolute cues such as density and on relative cues…