A comparison of 28 mildly mentally retarded children with 28 children of average intelligence (mean mental age six years) in learning conservation skills found both groups benefited from Direct Instruction methods, but retarded children acquired only pseudoconservation from Observational Learning methods. Their learning was not tenacious and did…

Preschool children who did not group a set of geometric stimuli according to complete similarity on a pretest were taught classification wither in a modeling or in a reinforcement condition. Modeling was found to be an effective means of teaching classification behavior. (ST)

Three studies to determine the effects of adult models on interrogative strategies of children (ages 6-11) are reviewed. Two issues are analyzed: (1) the comparative effectiveness of various types of modeling procedures for changing rule-governed behaviors, and (2) the interaction between observational learning and the developmental level of the…

Appraises the respective contribution of initial competence and of imitation of modeled response in the observational learning of conservation among first grade children. (HOD)

The infant's impressions of his environment are viewed by several philosophers, including Jean Piaget. There has been some past tendency to suppose that, prior to the acquisition of language, the infant has no real impressions about his environment. More recent understandings consider that the infant is capable of conceptualization and can express…

This report presents ten ideas about children's learning and cognition that are based on recent research. The empirical findings are reviewed and related to educational practices. The findings concern the following topics of learning and cognition: (1) individual differences, (2) children's problem-solving abilities and ability to remember…

The paper defines and assesses a concept acquisition model for describing the behavior processes through which conceptual-observational instruction influences teaching behavior. This model is contrasted with two other views of the relationship between this mode of instruction and performance: an imitative behavior model and a behavior labeling…

This volume includes reports of five research projects of the Kansas Center for Research in Early Childhood Education: (1) Individual Differences in Newborn and Young Infants, including research with the Brazelton Neonatal Assessment Scale and laboratory studies of infant discriminative abilities; (2) Development of Social Competence, including…