Piaget's egocentrism and Witkin's psychological differentiation are important constructs in theories of cognitive development. A comparison of these concepts could lead to an increased understanding of cognitive development in the older adult. In a test of Witkin's revised model of psychological differentiation, the Portable Rod and Frame Test…

Simultaneous maximum likelihood procedures were used to investigate the generality of ability factor structure in adulthood and old age. Data were analyzed for 198 subjects aged 15-32; 173 subjects aged 51-67; and 153 subjects aged 68-83. Variables were 14 ability tests marking five cognitive factors: verbal comprehension, number facility,…

The theoretical framework, methodology, findings, and implications for three studies which explored the relationship between adult development, collaborative action research, and instructional supervision are discussed. Each study concluded that educators define and practice supervision in qualitatively different ways depending upon their own…

One of the issues facing educators is the increasing number of nontraditional students appearing in the college classroom. Recent conceptualizations of adult reasoning have suggested that there are qualitative differences in reasoning from young to late adulthood. The objective of this study was to examine cognitive differences rather than…

While Jean Piaget's work as it relates to the development of childhood and adolescent cognition has long been explored, only recently has the usefulness of Piaget's theory in the study of adult cognition been studied. Recent research by educational psychologists has raised serious doubts about Piaget's theoretical position that the highest level…

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…

To understand the meaning of a teenager's behavior, it is necessary to have an overall understanding of psychological development. (MM)

Discusses semantic issues in defining emotions. Describes important constructs derived from major theories of emotionality. Examines social-psychological and biological changes associated with aging in the context of these theories. Reviews available data on emotionality and aging, describing experimental attempts at manipulating the emotional…

A dialectical schemata framework was used to interpret, code, and compare 27 interviews on the nature of education with freshmen, seniors and faculty members at a small, highly selective liberal arts college in order to provide a description of the organization of dialectical thinking and its presence in mature thought. (Author/DB)

Examined age differences in self-ratings of present and projected past and future cognitive performance across cognitive domains. Findings from 151 adults in their 20s, 40s, 60s, and 80s revealed that performance on fluid/speeded intelligence, memory, and reasoning tasks followed progression of poorer performance with age. Found age differences in…

Draws insights from social sciences for beginning teacher induction: (1) from sociology, adult selection of socializing agent and phases of newcomer behavior; (2) from anthropology, rites of passage; and (3) from psychology, encouraging formal operational thought and beginning new adult psychosocial stages. (SK)

Different writing voices are linked to early adult developmental issues that are gender-related. Research by Donald Graves has shown that gender affects topic choice in girls' and boys' writing as early as age seven. Adult developmental theories provide frames for looking at the growth potential of writers and locating gender-related issues. The…

This paper presents a study which indicates that accurate performance on a simple conservation task need not be related to congnitive maturity. Twenty adults and 20 third graders were given three verbal problems, each requiring a same-different judgment and an explanation of that judgment. Only 3 adults were able to give correct judgments, while…

Examines cognitive barriers to an individual's personalizing information about social discrimination against groups in which he/she is a member. Results suggest that individuals are more aware of discrimination against others than against themselves and are more likely to attribute personal efficacy and control to themselves than to others. (SA)

Investigates differences between adolescents and older adults in their explanations of linguistic metaphors. Adults displayed a synthesizing, integrative perspective, while adolescents displayed an analytic perspective in their explanation of metaphors. (Author/SS)