Discusses the development of thinking from a sociocultural perspective, focusing on how Super and Harkness' (1986) concept of "developmental niche" may be used as a framework for organizing cognitive developmental research in relation to culture. Argues for the utility of this approach in furthering understanding of the precise linkages between…

A presentation of arguments demonstrating piaget's sensorimotor stages in Hebb's terms, and the suggestion for performing a computer test. This paper is an early progress report of an attempt to translate some plausible arguments into a rigorous demonstration. (Author)

Comments on Gauvain's discussion, in this issue, of the development of thinking from a sociocultural perspective, expanding her analysis by comparing research on apes who have developed in natural habitats with apes raised by humans in something resembling a human culture. Argues that the study of nonhuman primates can contribute to the emerging…

Three research studies were performed to assess patterns of memory organization with respect to complementary and similarity dimensions, referring to associations based on functional relatedness and grammatical relatedness, respectively. The first study failed to replicate the results of a study by Denney and Ziobrowski (1972), indicating that…

Discussion of developing children's awareness of their own learning focuses on a study of preschool children ages five-seven in Sweden. Metacognitive skills and phenomenography are discussed, interviews with the students are described, and treatments for the experimental and control groups are explained. (16 references) (LRW)

In one experiment, children from 5 to 10 years of age played with puppets and responded to questions concerning the acquisition of one particular linguistic structure by children; in another series of experiments, both children and adults responded to questions regarding nonsense words in differentiating contexts--the focus of the discussion…

A series of studies was conducted over a three-year period to determine whether the teaching technique developed in the 1960s called "inquiry training" is effective for teaching problem-solving, thinking, and/or decision-making skills. (Inquiry training is a process in which students are provided with a puzzling situation, are given the…

Discusses hypotheses suggested for consideration by those black educators and parents who are involved in the educational process with the black child; these hypotheses are based on extensive clinical investigation and research. It is contended that black independent schools are facing the same complex problem that has plagued Western…

Addresses implications drawn from contemporary research in cognitive psychology which deal with the impact of nonconscious mental structures and processes on an individual's experience, thought, and action. Discusses the information-processing perspective, automatic processes, subliminal perception, implicit memory, hypnotic alterations, and the…

This booklet cites evidence indicating that intelligence can be trained, given a physiologically normal student and an intensely persistant tutor. Methodologies for increasing mental efficiency have in common the principle of coordination of physical and mental processes, whether achieved by simple relaxation training, brain polarization, or…

The experiments reviewed in this paper give strong reasons for concluding that the order in which things are learned, the range of exemplification of structural principles, and the introduction of a carefully judged amount of conflict may be critical to reaching an appropriate kind and level of learning. (Author/SJL)

The purpose of this paper is to review the relevant evidence concerning the relationship between knowledge and its effect on learning, with an end to answering the questions: (1) How important is knowledge to learning? and (2) How does the relative importance of knowledge change with development? The paper is divided into three main sections:…

Reported is an experiment undertaken to determine the extent to which analytic and global cognitive styles differed in developing or utilizing a selection type strategy in concept identification. Using the Hidden Figures Test (HFT) in five sections of an introductory psychology class, two groups of students, one analytical and one global, were…

This paper explores the thesis that advances in computer applications and artificial intelligence have important implications for the study of development and learning in psychology. Current approaches to the use of computers as devices for problem solving, reasoning, and thinking--i.e., expert systems and intelligent tutoring systems--are…

Some of the major changes that have influenced the field of child development since the last edition (1964) are presented in this edition. The book is divided into six parts, each with an introduction that summarizes what is important in the various domains of child development. Part One, The Grand Systems, is intended to give the reader a solid…