Executive functions (EF) are a group of interrelated complex mental abilities that are involved in planning and initiating goals and carrying them through despite interruptions. As these functions are typically higher-order and involved in integrating other, more basic, lower-order functions, they are difficult to assess directly, and executive…

A format account is given of the structure of conversational domains. A procedure is described which permits the construction of representations of the domains of tutorial conversations (knowledge structures) together with an account of the use of the procedure for structuring academic subject matters. (Author)

A discussion of models of intellectual development and their application to education identifies the two major groups of such models and examines recent attempts to combine them. The two types of theories are described as the psychometric models, which see intellectual growth as the incremental amassing and associating of discrete ideas, and the…

Treats teacher evaluation and education from the standpoint of cognitive competence as opposed to performance criteria alone. (GB)

Children took a group test of disjunctive reasoning containing 48 inclusive and exclusive items varying in content of the premises, and affirmation or negation of the conclusion. Performance improved until seventh grade. Negative conclusions produced more correct answers. Implications were discussed in relation to cognitive developmental theory…

Children at three levels of conceptual maturity were presented with six dilemmas in order to test the hypothesis that cognitive development predicts concrete behavioral choices whenever individuals are at least as complex as the moral alternatives confronting them. (Author/DB)

Reports the results of pilot testing the use of a scale of cognitive clarity for beginning readers based on the writings of John Downing. (AEA)

Electrophysiology is a timely and important tool in the study of early cognitive development. This commentary polishes the definition of event-related potential (ERP) components; often interpreted as expressions of mental processes. Further, attention is drawn to time-frequency analysis of the electroencephalogram (EEG) which conveys much more…

Investigated the criterion-related validity of the Minnesota Child Development Inventory (MCDI) for 30-month-old children (N=122). Results showed that MCDI scales correlated with cognitive but not motor development as measured by the McCarthy scales. The MCDI accurately identified children performing below normal in general cognitive development.…

Children were asked to judge the life qualities of a stimulus, justify their judgment, and judge again, after being given an anomalous probe. Analysis indicated younger children were unable to adhere to an original judgment when probed, while older children were. Results may reconcile previous empirical discrepancies in Piagetian research.…

Discusses problems involved in testing Piaget's hypothesis of topological primacy in representational space by copying geometric figures. (Author/SS)

Employed a modified dual task approach with 7- to 9-year olds to determine whether one of the classic M-power measures, the digit placement task, is indeed capacity-limited. Found that several critical assumptions concerning the use of the dual-task procedure were met; further testing revealed that the digit placement task is indeed…

Evaluated relationship between Cognitive Levels Test (CLT) and two tests of academic achievement: Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests (WRAT) and KeyMath Diagnostic Arithmetic Test (KeyMath). Findings from children in kindergarten through second grade showed CLT to be rather highly correlated with KeyMath scores, modestly correlated with WRAT total…

Examines practical implications for assessing child's cognitive development and then facilitating developmental growth. Presents concepts of developmental counseling and therapy as systematic framework to integrate neo-Piagetian developmental theory into interview. Example of treatment of case of child abuse illustrates concept in action.…