According to Lev S. Vygotsky (1896-1934), the highest levels of abstract thinking and self-regulation in preschool development are established in "pretend play using object substitutions." An extensive research literature supports Vygotsky's empirical model of the internalization of self-guiding speech (social speech > private speech…

This paper presents a cognitive theoretical framework for the learning of mathematics which has generic implications for other disciplines. The framework has been developed using a combination of established theories about learning and the authors' research into the understanding of some specific types of learning. It is based on the integration…

A theory of adult cognitive development which includes two post-formal operational stages is described. The paper is divided into three sections. The first section provides background for discussion of the theory. A case study in which various employees in a hypothetical organization react to a problem is provided. Examples of pre-logical,…

It was hypothesized that the acquisition of conservation behavior would be facilitated when stimuli were more concrete than abstract. Eighty white second graders were randomly assigned to four groups and presented with three conservation-of-weight problems. Clay balls and the conservation transformations were either shown, demonstrated, and…

Cites reasons for the formation and continuance of the Intellectual Development Project ( IDP). The impact of IDP research is described. (CP)

In a study, few subjects accepted empirical evidence of nonconservation of discontinuous quantity and weight. These findings were interpreted as support for the organismic-developmental claim that lower forms of reasoning are transformed into structurally more advanced forms. (Author/ED)

In response to the previous article, Whitehurst defends his article on imitation; it is different from Beilin's structural terms, and significant because much is known about imitation. Zimmerman challenges Beilin's interpretation of Piaget's structural assumptions. Brody maintains that children's qualitative changes in moral reasoning are best…

Four tasks which are frequently used to evaluate adolescent reasoning skill: (1) the pendulum task; (2) the ramp problem; (3) the cart experiment; and (4) the invisible magnetism experiment are analyzed to determine the Piagetian concepts that each measures. (CP)

Thirteen to fifteen year-old students from Denmark, Sweden, Italy, United States, Austria, Germany, and Great Britain were the subjects on this study of formal thought processes. Socioeconomic status, sex, and school organization provided additional categorization upon which the subjects were divided. Chi square analysis revealed some differences.…

According to Humean framework, relations are judged to be causal to extent that they are characterized by regularity, continuity, and covariation among college students and college-bound 11- and 14-year-olds. Presents subjects with information about one of the following indices: potential causal factor covaried with effect and potential causal…

Examples are given illustrating a facet of early learning involving insights into abstract thinking. Several learning theories examined fail to account for this phenomenon. (MP)

A pretest-posttest research design was used with 104 first-grade children to determine if discrimination and classifactory activities would affect transition from preoperational to concrete stages. Findings showed the experimental group exhibited significantly greater transition than did the control group. (CP)

Analyzes the meaning of Piaget's concept of abstraction and provides discussion of some of its shortcomings. (HM)