This contribution explains the connection between spatial intelligence and spatial competences and by indicating how the first is the cognitive matrix of abilities necessary to move in space as well as to represent it. Indeed, two are principal factors involved in the spatial intelligence: orientation and representation. Both are based on a close…

Explored the nature of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised third factor, Freedom from Distractibility, by factor analyzing its relations with constructs underlying selected neuropsychological measures. Results indicated the abilities tapped by Factor 3 are more complex than its name suggests. (MCF)

Ninety-six first- through fourth-grade children were administered four cognitive perspective-taking tasks in order to assess their ability to coordinate simultaneously their own viewpoint and another person's differing cognitive viewpoint. (CM)

Results indicate that subjects are not able to work within a closed abstract system before they have attained the capacity for formal-operational reasoning. (RB)

Story length and plausibility were varied to see whether these factors significantly affect children's ability to monitor their comprehension. A total of 19 third graders and 25 sixth graders were individually read four stories in a counterbalanced order. Each story had one of the following sets of characteristics: long, low plausibility; short,…

Assesses the ability of Pascual-Leone's Theory of Constructive Operators to predict the minimum age or maturational level at which integration of a motor task could be achieved. Subjects were 114 elementary school children ranging in age from 5 to 12. (Author/MP)

Four experiments involving kindergarten, second grade, and college students revealed that even kindergarten children used statement information effectively in interpreting ambiguous utterances. All three groups had difficulty using status information. (RH)

The conference described in this report was designed to explore fundamentally important aspects of educating 3- through 13-year-old children in a variety of school settings. A total of 250 participants, representing 17 states, attended. This volume provides the text of a conference paper by Melvin D. Levine, M.D., entitled "The Challenge of…

Explored the relationship between the emergence of operational thought and the development of taxonomic categories in 101 first-graders. Concrete operational subjects showed a greater appreciation than preoperational subjects for taxonomic relations involving atypical exemplars. (RJC)

This study found that a group of 20 children (ages 6-12) with autism and a group of 20 children with developmental receptive language disorder both manifested a relative sequential processing deficit. The groups did not differ significantly on overall sequential and simultaneous processing capabilities relative to their degree of language…

Discusses four means/ends discrepancies, explaining why teachers who say they want to promote children's thinking behave in ways counterproductive to their goals. Discrepancies involve classroom materials, teacher/student interactions, pupil outcomes, and professional growth. (RH)

Instruction designed to facilitate planning was provided to 12 math students (ages 9-12) with learning disabilities to determine if there would be differential effects on individual students. Teaching control and regulation of cognitive activity was beneficial for all students but was especially helpful for those with poor planning skills.…

The aim of this study was to determine what happens when three fourth-grade teachers give instruction in productive thinking in language arts and geography. The central question was how this instruction affected verbal productive thinking by teachers and their pupils. Five hypotheses were tested, and it was found that (1) pupils in all classes…

Investigates the relationship between class inclusion and reasoning in 56 Dutch Children between 6 and 14 years of age. Concludes that when the children failed to respond correctly to questions about the validity of syllogisms, they did so because they lacked sufficient understanding of the premises. (HOD)

Based on Luria-Das information processing theory, hypothesized that 26 educable mentally retarded children would score significantly less well on relatively pure measures of planning ability than would 13 younger average ability students after students were matched on cognitive processing ability. Hypothesis was not supported by study. (Author/NB)