In 1997, I argued that with the loss of Piaget's theory as an overarching guide, cognitive development had become disjointed and a new metatheory was needed to unify the field. I suggested developmental biology, particularly evolutionary theory, as a candidate. Here, I examine the increasing emphasis of biology in cognitive development research…

Assesses three sets of Piagetian exclusion operations (of varying the independent variables, of holding the independent variable constant, and tautology) and of levels of thought (concrete through formal) in 33 fifth graders, 27 sixth graders, and 31 seventh graders. (HOD)

Notes that the Piagetian perspective admits the existence of interindividual differences but interprets them as noise masking the universal logical succession of structures, whereas the differential perspective views development as consisting of "vicarious processes." Asserts that the main aim of the "procedural studies"…

Focuses on the conceptual implications of analyses of individual differences in francophone post-Piagetian research. Maintains that these analyses are preoccupied by the "American question" of measurement and method, instead of attempting a theoretical account of the issues raised by intraindividual and interindividual variability in…

Tests four hypotheses to separate the effect of schemes from drawing-specific influences on young children's drawings and examines whether copies and anticipatory drawings are influenced by schemes in the same manner. (HOD)

This study examined 6- to 8-year-old Slovenian children's acquisition of matrix completion proficiency and compared microgenetic and age-related changes on the task. Microgenetic analyses indicated that: variability of children's errors increased before they discovered the correct strategy, the correct strategy became dominant shortly after…

Observed the reactions of 3.5-month-old infants looking at a carrot that should have but did not appear in a window after passing behind a screen. The results of this and several similar experiments indicated that 3.5-month-old infants are able to represent and reason about hidden objects. (BC)

Meta-analysis of the A-not-B error was conducted, using logistic regression, on studies conducted before September 1997. Results replicated earlier findings, with exception that the number of trials at the A location was a significant predictor, and the number of locations was a significant predictor of the proportion of infants who searched…

Two studies examined children's understanding of the origins, behaviors, and properties of objects. Children (1) were sensitive to the distinction between natural things and artifacts; (2) identified specific kinds of natural cause; and (3) understood the link between internal parts and self-generated activity. (BC)

Presents French-speaking researchers' contribution to differential developmental psychology. Traces methodological and theoretical transformations necessary for understanding individual differences within a general theory of cognitive development. Provides overview of pluralistic and multidimensional model of cognitive functioning/development…

Discusses some general-causal assumptions of current neo-Piagetian research and compares them with those of French European developmentalists with regard to individual differences, developmental stages, and methodology. Discusses the developmental unfolding of mental attentional mechanisms. Highlights developmental theory problems for the…

Emphasizes the benefits of cooperation between researchers in developing a comprehensive model of cognitive development that considers the constraints of human brain structures and the interplay of general laws of development and individual differences in developmental pathways within the context of social and cultural environments. (Author)

Three experiments explored the developmental relationship between counting and number conservation in children from three to six years old. Results indicated that there was a close relationship between the two; that only the oldest children gave evidence of conserving; and that, in general, there is evidence of protracted development in young…

Discusses ways in which researchers have examined the role of social and emotional factors in cognitive functioning and development to uncover additional sources of variation to explain interindividual and intraindividual differences in cognitive development from within a Piagetian framework. Considers the implications of recent Francophone…

Describes three studies that examined how young children distinguish between the real, physical world and the mental world; between objects and thoughts; and between doing something and imagining it. (HOD)