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…

The results of this study provide evidence that schools reduce the variance of learned cognitive skills among children. (MM)

Two experiments compared the cognitive maps (mental representations of the spatial environment) of first graders, fifth graders and college students, and investigated developmental changes in the ability to manipulate cognitive maps mentally. In the first experiment, subjects were asked to move from stationpoint to stationpoint and at each, to…

A sex-related difference, favoring boys, was found on initial performance of two samples (one British, one American) of 10- and 11-year-old children on tasks involving volume and density. After classroom instruction that included opportunities for interaction with appropriate materials, both sexes performed at higher levels but differences…

In this study, six children were selected by age and were administered Piagetian tasks designed to measure their level of cognitive development against the hierarchical structuring of age/achievement posited by Jean Piaget. The task administrations are presented in detail with descriptions of the subject and the tasks, a verbatim report, and the…

The purpose of this study was to examine possible relationships between moral and cognitive development in second- and fifth-grade children. Sixty children were used in the study. Levels of cognitive development were evaluated using four learning tasks and moral development was assessed by presenting four conflicting situations to each subject for…

Evaluated the psychometric utility of a home literacy environment measure. Examined the measure's accuracy in predicting unique variance in children's performance on academic achievement measures after accounting for other important sources of variance, such as IQ and maternal education. Claims that this measure is psychometrically strong and…

Investigated the emergence of class and propositional reasoning skills as a function of the developing ability to coordinate increasingly complex negation and affirmation operations with children from grades 1, 3, 5, and 7. Found that children's reasoning follows a logical development sequence and that different groups of items account for…

Studied the relationship between mental age and progression toward Piaget's stages of concrete operations and formal operations in a sample of middle class children. Formal operations in preadolescence and adulthood are discussed in relation to IQ. (GO)

Previous research by Maratsos found that 3-year-olds were more accurate than four and 5-year-olds in selecting 'big' rectangles or animals when choosing between pairs of stimuli. A study then investigated the nature of the previous experiments themselves, particularly the procedures the researcher followed and the possible inferences which he drew…

Investigated was the hypothesis that conservation tasks are unifactor by administering eight different conservation tasks to 96 seventh-grade science students and performing a principal component analysis on the data. Results indicated that conservation tasks may measure up to three different components of cognitive thought. (SL)

A study was undertaken to determine if a criterion referenced test based on a Piagetian stage model of reading acquisition was related to grade level, to a standardized reading achievement test, and to a test of cognitive developmental level. Sixty first, second, and third grade children were administered a comprehensive test of basic skills. They…

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THOUGHT PROCESSES UNDER OPTIMUM TRAINING CONDITIONS WAS STUDIED. OPTIMUM WAS DEFINED TO INCLUDE (1) A CURRICULUM FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THOUGHT, (2) TEACHING STRATEGIES FOCUSED DIRECTLY ON MASTERY OF NECESSARY COGNITIVE SKILLS, AND (3) A SUFFICIENT TIME SPAN TO PERMIT A DEVELOPMENTAL TRAINING SEQUENCE. CHILDREN FROM 20…

The purpose of this study was to compare performances by Japanese and American children on the Matching Familiar Figures Test, the primary measure of cognitive tempo. Data on more than 3400 Japanese and American children (approximately half male, half female) were used. Factorial analyses of variance revealed significant age x nationality…