Studied the ages at which 240 children in grades one to five read and transformed times given in analog and digital displays, linked times to activities, and judged the order of hours in the day. Findings indicated that digital time reading was well developed by the first grade. (RJC)

Investigates the development of the appearance-reality distinction in 24 children of 5 years, 24 undergraduates, and 12 adults. Results suggest that there is a transitional period in the development of the distinction that begins around age 5 years. (RJC)

Examines the ability of 140 children of 3-5 years to use functional standards to judge size. The ability to use nonegocentric functional standards was present by age 3. However, 3-year-olds performed above chance only when their attention was directed to the relevant function. (RJC)

Implicit understanding of false belief was investigated by monitoring where preschoolers looked in anticipation of a protagonist reappearing, when the protagonist mistakenly thinks that his desired object is in a different place from where it really is. Two-year olds erroneously looked at the object's real location whereas most older children…

Five experiments examined three-year olds' ability to complete a false belief task that was manipulated in terms of their grasp of the narrative base. Children who failed a traditional task succeeded if they narrated the book version back to the experimenter. The results suggest that the structure of three-year olds' event memories is central to…

Four experiments tested three to six year olds' and adults' understanding of animals' growth changes. All subjects understood that animals get larger with age. Older children and adults, but not younger children, allowed for dramatic changes in the size and shape of animals over the animals' lifespans. (BC)

Children between three and five years of age engaged in a procedure in which a puppet competitor chose an object which the children preferred. Fewer than 30 percent of three year olds but more than 80 percent of five year olds knew how to conceal their preference from the competitor. (BC)

Two studies examined four- and five-month-old infants' behaviors of leaning forward toward, and reaching for, an object placed within or beyond their reach. Infants who did not lean forward showed a decline in reaching behavior when the object was placed beyond their reach. (MDM)

The memory, processing speed, and articulation rate of 24 9 year olds and 24 adults were measured. Results supported a model in which individuals execute cognitive processes more rapidly as they grow older. In addition, age contributes to more rapid rehearsal of words, which yields more accurate recall. (BG)

Children, ages 9 to 13 years, made judgments of proportion with a variety of graphical elements in 2 experiments. A characteristic pattern of over- and underestimation was observed; this pattern was also present, but previously unnoticed, in judgments made by adults. (MDM)

Reviews empirical studies of cognitive self-efficacy from childhood through old age, addressing issues of definition and measurement related to the self-efficacy construct. Integrates findings of research on self-efficacy and establishes generalizations regarding the relationship of self-efficacy to choice and goal-setting behaviors, a sense of…

Two experiments found that (1) by age 8 months infants perceived that leaning extends their effective reaching space to grasp objects; (2) by 10 months they perceived the effective limits of leaning and reaching; and (3) by 12 months they began to perceive how this space may be extended by a mechanical aid. (MDM)

Presents a conjoint recognition paradigm and a model that quantifies conscious and unconscious memory for learned materials and for the types of unlearned materials found to induce false memories in children. Validation study showed that model accounted for 7- and 10-year-olds' performance on recognition memory task. Conscious and unconscious…

Maintains that Madole and Oakes' hypotheses are incorrect. Shows that conceptual development frequently goes from the abstract to the concrete and that extensive literature shows that there is more than one kind of categorization. Discusses ways in which perceptual and conceptual categorization differ. (Author/KB)

Three studies explored the scope of preschoolers' teleological tendency to view entities as "designed for purposes." Found that preschoolers, unlike adults, tend to attribute functions to all kinds of objects. Both children and adults predominantly viewed an object's function as the activity it was designed to perform. (Author/KB)