Statistical learning (SL), the ability to detect and extract regularities from inputs, has been considered as an early-maturing and domain-general mechanism that is critical for typical language development. However, recent evidence in neurotypical adults and children have found that individuals can vary in their SL abilities across linguistic and…

Accumulating information and knowledge is a major task of development. A common assumption is that we build our storehouse of world knowledge, our semantic memory, through direct experience. Although direct experience is involved, to explain fully how we know all that we know, we also must consider processes that allow for integration of…

Going beyond the static, dangerous version of a single story about who an African child inmate is, is an ethical responsibility -- especially when we consider the structural and material forces that are tangled in this evil deed. Drawing on a sociological framing of self and Foucault's theory of ethics, we take a narrative inquiry stance to…

The role of the emotions in learning has long been acknowledged but is often overlooked. This article considers the impact one particular emotion, happiness, has on learning and the school curriculum. Recent reports have drawn attention to the importance of happiness (or the lack of it) by highlighting concerns about childhood well-being. At the…

We are pleased with the commentators' thoughtful reactions to our study, as they make it clear that the study met its major goal--identifying age differences that suggest developmental changes in the learning process and the strengthening of executive processes in the second decade of life.

Notes that Halford's book does not really address children's own understanding but rather the psychologist's attempt to understand children from the outside. Discusses the five major sets of ideas at the core of Halford's explanations of capacity, complexity/dimensionality, development, and learning. Examines two arguments against Halford's…

Noting that understanding a child's brain and the way it develops is the key to understanding learning, this book explores the relationship between brain physiology and children's learning processes. The book first translates the most current scientific theories on nervous-system development into practical information for parents. It then details…

This essay examines some shortcomings of traditional methods of studying and helping children and concludes that teachers need to recognize that the child is able to inform and enlighten the teacher. (JMF)

The development of cognitive representation is the main theme of three classic theories (Piaget, Bruner, Vygotsky) on how children learn concepts. Piaget considered structural change as a necessary condition for development; Bruner emphasized both internal and external function and the structural changes brought about by function; and Vygotsky…

Suggests that learning is a process undergoing change from infancy to adulthood and that the more consciously aware the learner is of the process, the more the learner can be in control. Presents the Performance Pathfinder Plan as a model of appropriate adult learning. (Author/DC)

How do children and adults learn to use computers? What developmental processes are involved in learning to use computers? This chapter reviews current understanding of these issues and presents empirical studies demonstrating how to advance that understanding. (Contains 2 figures.)

Extends dynamic model of cognitive growth proposed by van Geert in three directions: (1) added a term to consider exposure to material to be learned; (2) developed method to apply model to cross-sectional studies; and (3) developed procedure to scale cognitive abilities tests with items of varying difficulty. Tests model with 2- to 15-year-olds'…

This group of eight bulletins provides abstracts on research relating to children reported to the Clearinghouse for Research in Child Life from July 1962 to August 1968. Abstracts are organized by topic area: (1) "Long Term Research"; (2) "Growth and Development," including general, physical, perceptual, cognitive, motor,…

This book provides a personal, day-by-day record, kept over a period of 3 years, to illuminate how one teacher brought the Montessori approach to children in a kindergarten classroom. The book's introduction outlines Maria Montessori's approach to education from birth through adolescence as one which focuses on the development of each person as a…

Asking how we can best support the health and well-being of infants and children in an era of rapid economic and technological change, this book presents findings on human development as both an individual and a population phenomenon. Topics discussed include links between socioeconomic status, achievement, and health; the impact of early…