Observational learning is essential for the acquisition of new behavior in educational practices and daily life and serves as an important mechanism for human cognitive and social-emotional development. However, we know little about its underlying neurocomputational mechanisms from a developmental perspective. In this study we used model-based…

This research examined the ways in which children observe flowering plants, namely: which features they perceive as significant, whether the skill of observing flowering plants develops with age, and what is the difference between genders. The research involved 174 children: 89 children aged 5 and 85 children aged 10 who were given the task of…

Results suggest that the age composition of peer groups influences the performance of peer-modeled information, thus providing an indication that imitation of peers is a selective process influenced by the relative age of the model to the observer. Data also suggest that observational learning is a complex process involving considerable…

Examined the development of the ability of 5-, 9-, and 13-year-old children to produce elemental and complex facial movements intentionally. (Author/DB)

Modeling and direct instruction were used to train children to cooperate rather than compete. Children in treatment conditions showed significantly more cooperation than did control groups after immediate assessment. Seven weeks later age but not treatment differences were observed in generalization of training. (Author/DB)

Investigating the effect of age and temporal placement of a modelled skill on performance of a balance task of 60 boys (seven and nine years old) indicated significant effects of age, temporal appearance of the model, and an interaction of model by age for time on-balance. (Author/PN)

This article reviews recent investigations into intentionality (use of motive information) in young children's moral judgments. Intentionality has been shown to vary as a function of the vignette used to measure it. The educational implications of Piagetian theory and cognitive social learning theory for moral development are discussed.…

Forty-nine children (ages 8-17) with mental retardation recognized facial expressions less accurately than did subjects without retardation who were matched on chronological age. Mental age-matched groups showed no differences in accuracy at a younger mental age, but a difference was found at an older mental age. (Author/JDD)