This article is based on a doctoral dissertation submitted to the Department of Psychology, University of Michigan. (MH)

Research supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation; reports results of experiments in general cognitive development of children tested for their comprehension of the words more'' and less'' (RS)

Discusses the connections between cultural literacy and schema based on Hirsch's book, "Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know." Investigates the idea that schemata for cultural literacy can be taught. Asserts that teachers must assess and enlarge vocabulary and determine whether pupils' background knowledge is adequate for…

Advance organizers may fail to promote learning even though they are approximately related to the main learning experience and internally meaningful and logical. If they are to optimize the likelihood that new materials will be readily and properly subsumed, they must also be constructed to conform to the cognitive preparedness and scholastic…

Reports the results of two studies designed to investigate the presence of six cognitive levels of intellectual performance as predicted by Bloom's taxonomy. Results of both experiments revealed a performance dichotomy with synthesis and evaluation forming the superior category. Includes examples of the text items used and draws implications for…

Reviews Gibson's contributions to the domain of perceptual learning, including her classic experiment concerning the perception of scribbles. Discusses Gibson's research on differentiation and the links between perception and learning, the status of her research and ideas, and her experimental approach. (BG)

Describes the development of an instrument which is: (1) is capable of administration to students in grades 6-14; (2) requires the examinee to construct a conceptual answer from information provided; (3) requires the examinee to use the seven major logical operations (classification, seriation, logical multiplication, compensation, ratio,…

Two experiments examined children's early judgments about numerical relations. Found that children as young as three years old are already adept at reasoning about relations between sets, independently of their ability to form numerical representations. Results support the existence of protoquantitative schemas, or ways of thinking about relations…

Intended as a chapter in "Carmichael's Manual of Child Psychology," this paper provides an overview and interpretation of the work already completed on children's learning, remembering, and understanding with a major concentration on academic cognition. The first part of the paper provides a brief overview of the principal trends of the 1970s and…

Reviews recent research in the area of mathematical understanding and compares and contrasts it with a model formulated for the growth of understanding. Uses the analysis of a transcript from an interview with an eight-year-old boy to illustrate the power of the model to describe and map the growth of his mathematical understanding. (18…

The extent to which cuing strategies and basic skills explanations of early reading constitute complementary approaches was examined in a study involving 94 fourth grade students. Basic skills--a unidimensional component based on measures of vocabulary development, language skills, and work-study skills--proved to be a powerful variable mediating…

The progress of groups of junior high school students working together was measured by the developmental theories of Bloom, Piaget, and Kohlberg. Each group was assigned the task of designing a coat-of-arms representing their neighborhood. This project involved not only physically producing a shield (designing, drawing, choosing colors) but also…

This book brings a philosophical perspective to the topic of children's thinking. It attempts to answer the questions of what it is to think and understand, and how children do so. The book provides an introduction to the philosophy of education as it relates to children's understanding, and is careful not to assume any previous philosophical…

This paper outlines the components of initial cognitive skill acquisition and analyses features of elaborations in the instructional materials that can facilitate each component. Three basic components of skill learning are identified: (1) learning novel concepts and the functionality of novel concepts and procedures; (2) learning how to execute…

Supported is the argument that cognitive development should not be studied alone, in isolation from wider questions about the history of thought in the scientific community. Interest in the topic resulted from dissatisfaction with British secondary school Language-for-Learning movement assertions that learners' active use of their own speech and…