When a behavior disappears and then resurfaces, developmental psychologists typically look more closely at the behavior to figure out what is different before and after--that is, they increase the grain with an eye toward discovering how the system that generates that behavior has changed. But what ought to count as a U-shaped phenomenon? How…

An exploratory study examined the premise that pets provide developmental benefits for young children. Four hypotheses were derived from prior research: (1) children who have a bond with a dog or cat show more maturity in their cognitive, moral, and emotional development than children who do not have such pets; (2) children who have a more…

This paper analyzes the rationale for the project approach to educational programming from the cognitive-developmental perspective. It is argued that in many ways, the project approach reflects the cognitive-developmental view; that it is a convergence of Piaget's constructivism and Dewey's progressivism. Like any approach, the project approach is…

This study tested the hypothesis that social competence of mother-infant play reflects both secure mother-infant attachment and more advanced cognitive development. Subjects were 58 toddlers between 16 and 19 months of age and their mothers. Two general methods were used: observation and maternal report. Standardized developmental assessments were…

The perception of death gradually develops in a child's mind, reaching maturity at about 8 or 9 years of age. A mature death concept usually means a definition which includes the perception of death as a natural process, its finality, its irreversibility, and its universality. A study was undertaken to improve knowledge about the death concept.…

An experiment was conducted to determine whether tutoring is a learning activity from which the tutor, as well as the tutee, gains cognitively. Undergraduate students (N=80) participated in the study. Half of the subjects studied selected material to tutor another subject. The other half studied material to prepare for a test that they would take.…

The set of goals and plans that a writer might select to accomplish a given piece of writing is guided by the writer's conception of knowledge. In terms of cognitive theory, conceptions of knowledge may be viewed as epistemological schemata--structured clusters of knowledge about the nature of knowledge itself. William Perry's scheme of the…

Discusses the value of elementary science in promoting both cognitive and affective growth in children. (JR)

This paper describes a tentative model to assist in conceptualization of the dynamics of adult social-cognitive development based on Piaget's and Riegel's thought, gerontological studies, and dialectical theory. The proposed model possesses several qualities: (1) it derives from the concept of intelligence as an adaptive biological entity; (2) it…

This paper outlines an evaluation system for elementary education based on cognitive and social development research. Piaget has defined certain core mental structures that develop in all humans in the same order. Both Piaget and Kohlberg have done work on the process of developmental change and the conditions necessary for optimal growth of the…

This program was designed to encompass personal growth, openness, and integration of affective and cognitive growth in the participants. Summer 1970 training sessions consisted of 2 weeks of intensive encounter work for 3 groups of 20 participants each, followed by a 3-day session on curriculum and methodology for the total group. During the…

This paper presents: (1) a definition of values; (2) a measure of moral values which seems to have adequate conceptual and psychometric properties; and (3) evidence concerning the personological correlates of mature moral judgment. Values are defined as the standards used in moral evaluations and the criteria for choosing rules of conduct. Using a…

This short paper outlines the basic theoretical approach which the Information System for Vocational Decisions (ISVD) developers are using to solve the problem of how people learn about careers, i.e. the cognitive aspects of occupational guidance. The emphasis is on the vocational developmental process, the gradual acquisition of knowledge about…

Instead of expending enormous energy investigating limits that may be biologically (or evolutionarily) determined, it may make more sense to expend resources on developing additional, mostly undeveloped capacities that will enable ordinary people to perform at levels far beyond what they achieve through our present educational programs. (Author/EB)