Reflections on psychological perspectives of aging are focused around issues of biological changes and mental functioning, genetic factors in aging, psychological changes with aging, individual differences in mental functioning and the intellectual decline of the aged. (EH)

Provides some background from the biological and behavioral sciences relevant to the education of young children. The author concludes that experience gained by age 8 (particularly during the years 0 to 5) matters for the rest of an individual's life. (PEB)

Contents of this symposium comprises: Introduction (W. B. Dockrell); The Genetics of Intelligence (Sir C. Burt); Structuring Mental Acts (P. R. Merrifield); A "Piagetian" Test of Cognitive Development (R. D. Tuddenham); The British Intelligence Scale (R. W. Warburton); Intelligence (P. E. Vernon); Hierarchical Theories of Mental Ability…

From the monthly Saturday Review supplement, "Education in America, sponsored by the Charles F. Kettering Foundation.

Much of our thinking about contemporary social problems reflects tacit presuppositions regarding the operation of heredity and environment in human behavior. These beliefs have important implications for practical decisions. Advances in genetics, psychology, anthropology, and other disciplines have contributed much to a clarification of the…

Reviews the current theories concerning individual differences in cognitive functioning. While some argue that heredity places a genetic cap on intellectual development, others emphasize the dynamic interrelationship between cultural and environmental factors. Concludes that intelligence is more complex than the heredity advocates allow. (MJP)