Kindergarteners and second-graders were shown pairs of pictures, one picture at a time, and asked to name each picture as rapidly and as accurately as possible. Pictures pairs were of four types which reflected the factorial combination of associative relatedness (high and low) with categorial relatedness (high and low). (SB)

Presents a descriptive analogy comparing Piaget's theory of intellectual development to the development of athletic abilities in order to provide insight into Piagetian theory. (SL)

Uses results of laboratory and natural language analyses of 2- to 4-year olds' explanations of human behavior to argue for a theory-type view of biological, psychological, and physical domains of thought. Concludes that children as young as 2 years show three different reasoning systems in their explanations of everyday phenomena, especially human…

Examined reasoning in normal, autistic, and deaf individuals. Found that deaf individuals who grow up in hearing homes without fluent signers show selective impairments in theory of mind similar to those of autistic individuals. Results suggest that conversational differences in the language children hear accounts for distinctive patterns of…

Elementary school children were interviewed about how gears move on a gearboard and how they work in commonplace machines. Children's reasoning became more general, formal, and mathematical as problem complexity increased, suggesting that mathematical forms of reason may develop when they provide a clear advantage over simple causal…

Investigates the possibilities of self-reflection for the teaching profession by relating the problem the philosophy of Rene Descartes, Immanuel Kant, and Edmund Husserl. Explains that in philosophy reflection has always played a major role, while it has not always had a major role in education. Concludes that it is possible to learn from mistakes…

A study of 86 children (ages 5-16) investigated the relationship between age, IQ, and preferences for novelty. Children with higher IQs spent significantly more time responding to novel items than lower-IQ children. Older children with high IQs showed the most interest in novel items. (CR)

Papers from a symposium on specific cognitive impairment in children with learning disabilities are summarized, and the implications of their results for further research are discussed. While most of the papers addressed reading skills, the generalizability of the research for other learning-disabled children is also considered. (MSE)

Discusses the distinction between cognitive effects with computers, whereby an individual's performance is redefined and upgraded during intellectual partnership with the computer, and effects of computers, whereby such partnership leaves durable and generalizable cognitive residues. Suggests two mechanisms for affecting cognition: skill…

Replies to Robert Ennis' article, "Critical Thinking and Subject Specificity: Clarification and Needed Research" (April 1989), on subject specificity in the literature on critical thinking. Discusses the transferability of critical thinking skills from one topic to another. Considers the possibility of general thinking skills that apply…

Responds to John McPeck's article, "Critical Thinking and Subject Specificity: A Reply to Ennis" (May 1990), and summarizes his earlier essay. Covers the following topics: (1) versions of subject specificity; (2) vagueness; (3) the distinction between school-subject matter and the subject matter of everyday life; (4) subjects and topics;…

Presents a three-component model of arithmetical development in young children. Applies this model as a basis for analysis of developmental processes in early mathematics learning that may be universal. (RJC)

The experience of the West Virginia University School of Pharmacy with a course in non-prescription drugs that emphasizes problem-solving through pattern recognition illustrates that when thinking skills are taught, students value, remember, and can use more of the concepts they study. (MSE)

Studied children's grasp of make-believe transformations they had seen enacted. Children indicated the pretend outcome by choosing a picture depicting no change or a picture depicting the pretend change. Older children chose correctly, even with the addition of a picture of an irrelevant transformation, but younger children did not. Autistic…

Provides a basis from which to critically examine contemporary identity research, by offering a definition of identity, a constructive criticism of the subject approach, and an empirical approach to studying sense of identity. The empirical approach is based on conceptually sound ideas and leads to important questions about identity modes and the…