These studies investigate how the distinction between generic sentences (e.g., "Boys are good at math") and nongeneric sentences (e.g., "Johnny is good at math") shapes children's social cognition. These sentence types are hypothesized to have different implications about the source and nature of the properties conveyed. Specifically, generics may…

Groups of second grade and college students were presented with a series of three-alternative, four-dimensional discrimination problems that contained probes for the subject's hypothesis. Subjects received either complete feedback or partial feedback. In the latter condition, when subjects were told their response choice was incorrect the correct…

The present study was designed to explore what subjects can and will do spontaneously in memory retrieval situations. Subjects were kindergarten, third grade and college students. (SB)

Reported two studies of the possible relation of knowledge to improvements in recall. Tested 8- to 11-year-old children and college students for knowledge recall before and after they saw videotapes about birds. Although knowledge and memory measures correlated, and most knowledge measures improved after children viewed the videotapes, recall and…

Results of two experiments minimizing verbal encoding and response demands indicate that when the ceiling effects in no-mask target recognition are removed, the visual information processing rates for children and adults can be considered equivalent. (Author/RH)

A total of 184 students aged 6-29 were interviewed to determine their conceptions of fairness in school learning. Findings indicated that: (1) students perceived peer tutoring to be the fairest practice at all grades; (2) older students adopted a more individualistic, less communal orientation toward learning. (RJC)

Measured effects of age, prior opinions, and peer interaction on first, third, and sixth graders and college students as they expressed their opinion on a topic while alone (pretest), while with a peer (test), and again while alone (posttest). Found that age affected the number, type, and elaboration level of pretest reasons for holding a given…

Studied the way in which 32 preschoolers aged three-five years, 28 second-graders and 64 undergraduates generalized from a labeled exemplar to other potential members of the same category. Results indicated that preschoolers focused mostly on single attributes in making category decisions and older individuals primarily exhibited multiple…