Based on studies on Guatemalan children, presents data that absolute retardation in the time of emergence of universal cognitive competences during infancy is not predictive of comparable deficits for memory, perceptual analysis, and inference during preadolescence; retardation seems to be partially reversible and cognitive development in the…

Holds that young children are limited in their knowledge about cognitive phenomena ("metacognition") and do relatively little monitoring of their own memory, comprehension, and other cognitive enterprises. Proposes a model addressing the question of what adult-like knowledge and behavior might constitute metacognitive developmental targets toward…

Summarizes recent research which attempted to discover what children of different ages know about the appearance-reality distinction and related phenomena. Findings show that what helps children grasp the distinction is an increased cognizance of the fact that people are sentient subjects who have mental representations of objects and events. (PS)

Reviews research and current knowledge regarding infant auditory and visual perception and concludes that from a very early age, infants are able to perceive the world around them and organize their perceptual experience. Outlines areas for future research and application. (GC)

Discusses research which focuses on the types of experience that foster the internalization of moral norms in an individual's development. Considers the roles of parents, peers, and the mass media, as well as cognitive development and arousal of affects such as empathy and guilt. (Author/GC)

This report summarizes findings from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development as effect sizes for exclusive maternal care and--for children in child care--type, quality, and quantity of care. Children (n = 1,261) were recruited at birth and assessed at 15, 24, 36, and 54 months.…

A review of recent studies on the effects of television viewing on behavior indicates that television has significantly influenced cognitive and affective child development, social behavior, social relationships, and health attitudes and practices. Researchers and the television industry must collaborate to maximize television's positive effects.…

Reviews current issues in child language acquisition and suggests a research agenda for helping those children who have difficulty mastering the fundamentals of language. (Author/BJV)

This review of research on the preschool years asserts that a general behavior analysis of those years is essential not only because of its importance as a developmental stage but also because there is a need to fill the knowledge gap between the principles of animal behavior and the principles of practical applications to childhood problems.…

Outlines infants' and preschoolers' implicit protoquantitative reasoning schemas and shows how these combine with early counting knowledge to produce mathematical concepts of number. Reviews research on elementary school children's informal and invented arithmetic, and evaluates implications for mathematics education. (Author/BJV)

Examines the adaptive nature of prolonged human cognitive immaturity through developmental research in metacognition, egocentricity, plasticity, the speed of information processing, and language acquisition. Discusses the consequences of viewing children's immature cognition as adaptive for cognitive development and education. (Author/JB)

Describes the status of controversies regarding the definition of intelligence, its measurement, and the relative roles of heredity versus environment in the development of individual differences. Intelligence tests alone are inconclusive in examining individual children. (Author/BJV)

Proposes five generalizations on existing knowledge, learning, and their interaction, and discusses evidence for these from recent research on children's learning, memory, conceptual understanding, and problem solving. (Author/AOS)

Reviews the controversy over the effects that various forms of computer use are likely to have on different children's learning, motivation, and social behavior. Considers difficulties in the current state of empirical research in this area, and offers recommendations for future research. (Author/BJV)

Examines effects of the structure and content of television on children's cognitive, motor, and affective development, and discusses relationships between family life style and television viewing. Suggests that current television programs can have harmful effects on children, and presents proposals for interventions to expose children to more…