Discussed are Piaget's methods, his relation to other theories, and an overview of his theory. Described are the six stages of his sensorimotor period with a summary of imitation and play, and the concrete operations period with the subperiods of changes from sensorimotor in preoperation, differences from the adult in preoperation, and the…

Studies in intellectual development, brain organization, and learning are summarized. They show that neither intelligence nor giftedness are solely the result of cognitive functions. Both rely on the use of the total brain in an appropriate environment. Intelligence is dynamic. It must be used and developed or it will be lost. (PS)

Issues of instructional effectiveness need to be examined at three levels: (1) the context in which instruction takes place and the rewards provided for teaching well; (2) comparison of teaching paradigms; and (3) the knowledge to be learned and the skills that are part of the learning process. (MSE)

Problem-based learning is argued to be the most effective means of developing students' general mental abilities, integrating academic and operational approaches to higher education, and instilling a high level of student motivation and capacity for active learning. Conditions for successful problem-based learning are discussed. (Author/MSE)

This study investigated the effects of an inductive reasoning training program on children's performance on intelligence test tasks, the range of transfer, the long-term effects of training over 4 months, and the effectiveness of group training. Participating were 47 third-grade children of average ability. The 23 children randomly assigned to the…

Examined effects of a brief parent training package on parental application of behavioral procedures during child instruction for 49 parents and their 2 1/2- to 5-year-old children. Parent training produced variations in parental use of modeling, physical prompting, verbal instructional prompting, and aversive control. However, the pattern of…

After a discussion of the creativity often found in those outside the mainstream, this article describes the five stages of the Laureate learning cycle model of talent development: romance, inquiry, involvement, expansion, and insight. The importance of individual ownership of the learning process is emphasized. (DB)

Even when the socioeconomic background is controlled, there is still a difference between blacks and whites in academic achievement. Studies have shown that, though social class is a factor in that difference, ethnicity is the primary factor. This report discusses ideologies that have tried to explain that ethnic difference. It discusses the…

This paper takes the position that logical knowledge is distinct from conceptual and procedural knowledge and can make a unique contribution to the understanding of knowledge acquisition. This view of logical knowledge departs from the traditional Piagetian view of stages and the overriding view of logic as the sole means of constructing new…

The growth model of intelligence; i.e. intelligence is the product of genetics plus environment (I.Q.=G+E), is discussed and questioned. If the growth model is discarded, formulating the problem of the development of intelligence in different ways and thinking of different possible technologies for changing intelligence can begin. The child…

An instructional system that is both efficient and effective should present information so that it is easily processed by learners and so that the cognitive structures resulting from instruction correspond to the structure of the content to be learned. This paper presents a discussion of methods for describing content structure and cognitive…

The questioning behavior of college faculty is descriptively analyzed. The cognitive levels of questioning patterns of professors are described and the differences in these levels and patterns are examined across the variables of institution size (small or large), sector (public or private), course level (beginning or advanced), and discipline…

THE MOTIVATING CONCEPT IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SYLLABUS WAS THAT THE INCREASING COMPLEXITY OF THE EDUCATIONAL TASK DEMANDS THAT WE MAKE SPECIAL PROVISIONS FOR THOSE WHO LEARN MORE RAPIDLY AND WHO CAN PROGRESS THROUGH THE CURRICULAR PROGRAM AT A GREATER SPEED. THESE STUDENTS SHOULD BE CHALLENGED THROUGH THE USE OF A VARIETY OF MATERIALS AND…

Every human being is always open to some degree; for example, open for learning, experience, change, improvement, or further degradation by his own standards or those of others. Every experience alters an individual's learning capacity. Therefore, to say a child is naturally of high or low intelligence with unlimited or limited learning power is…

Forty sub-literate adults were given reading and comprehension skill training. Twenty of the subjects were taught using a multimedia, multimodal and multilevel communication skill system (Experimental Group). The other twenty were taught in a traditional manner using standard reading texts (Control Group). Both Groups received an average of 265…