Reviews selected research on children's early formation of categories. Finds sophistication in how children group objects and think about those groupings. Notes findings related to type of grouping (thematic or taxonomic), multiple classifications, overgeneralization, the role of background knowledge on classification abilities, the…

Discusses the problem of using time effectively with young children and the importance of allowing children time to mature and develop. Contrasts children's understanding and experience of time with those of adults, and discusses how school contributes to children's adaptation to time. Suggests that the African time concept could provide examples…

Successful treatment of many childhood diseases once considered terminal has resulted in the emergence of long-term effects of the disease or consequences of treatment that were previously unrecognized. Many of these long-term effects involve the central nervous system (CNS) and are developmental in the way that they emerge over time. Because we…

This study examined whether scripts provide a basis for the categories preschool children use to structure their semantic memories and whether the use of taxonomies to structure memory becomes more common only after children enter elementary school. Subjects were 108 children in three equal groups of 18 boys and 18 girls children each of 4-, 5-,…

A study was conducted to test the hypothesis that metaphorical thought develops according to the principles governing other categorizing processes. Of particular interest were the questions of whether preschool children possess the categorical flexibility to comprehend metaphorical statements and, if they do, whether this flexibility manifests…

Research supported by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation.

This paper examines the concept of decalage from two cognitive-change positions (structures of logical thought and attentional and verbal mediators) and proposes an alternative explanation for decalage from a perceptual-change point of view. The term decalage is used to summarize the relation between differences in performance of various age…

The internal consistency reliability and discriminant validity of the adult version of the Matching Familiar Figures Test (MFF) were determined for a sample spanning adulthood; age and sex differences were also investigated. Sixty-three men and 63 women ranging from 18 to 78 years of age, with at least 12 years of schooling, were administered…

This study examining children's ability to organize information for the purpose of recall was designed to control for verbal ability differences. The participants were 10 boys and 10 girls each from kindergarten, 2nd, 4th and 6th grades. A modified "Simon Says" game was used to enable the children to respond to eight selected verbal and motor…

This study is one of a series which attempts to arrive at generalizations about the learning of mathematics and the use of its terminology in the context of mathematical structure by young children. The first half of the document describes an experimental training program designed to integrate mathematical concepts of metric space, arc length, and…

This paper presents a study using a neo-Piagetian theory to analyze the micro-structure underlying Piaget's "control of variables" scheme. Data are presented which support the conclusion that young children are capable of acquiring and utilizing this scheme before they acquire Conservation of Weight, that is, providing (1) that the…

Second graders, fifth graders, and college students heard 12 stories that varied systematically by situational domain, outcome, and causal attribution. Students were asked to infer the story character's emotion at the end of the story and give reasons for it. Contributions and limitations of Weiner's attribution-emotion model are assessed in light…

Assessment of ethnic attitudes in 232 English- and French-speaking children aged five to 12 reveals that positive attribution to one's own ethnic group and negative attributions to the other group decrease with age. Cognitive rather than social desirability factors are important in the development of children's ethnic attitudes. (Author/BJV)

Conducted two experiments on kindergarten to third-grade children in which it was hypothesized that the degree of adult intervention would not make a difference in play treatments and that thematic fantasy play would serve to construct metalinguistic understanding. Hypotheses were confirmed. There was also significant interaction between adult…

Discusses students' formation of concepts about energy, classifying responses as living/nonliving, human (vitalism or activity), and nonhuman (supply or demand). Observations were based on class discussions and free writing, followed by questioning to check on stability of concepts. Also collected and reported are student responses (examples of…