Does modeling matter? We address this question by providing a broad survey of the computational models of cognitive development that have been proposed and studied over the last three decades. We begin by noting the advantages and limitations of computational models. We then describe four key dimensions across which models of development can be…

In the behavioral sciences, a popular approach to describe and predict behavior is cognitive modeling with adjustable parameters (i.e., which can be fitted to data). Modeling with adjustable parameters allows, among other things, measuring differences between people. At the same time, parameter estimation also bears the risk of overfitting. Are…

The authors propose a general modeling framework called the general monotone model (GeMM), which allows one to model psychological phenomena that manifest as nonlinear relations in behavior data without the need for making (overly) precise assumptions about functional form. Using both simulated and real data, the authors illustrate that GeMM…

Poverty remains an urgent crisis worldwide. In the United States, 28.6 million children live in low-income families and 12.7 million children live in poor families. In nations belonging to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 47 million children live below national poverty lines. These figures pertain to…

Focuses on four major theories and models of undergraduates' epistemological development. Proposes a theoretical framework for undergraduates' information seeking behavior based on insights into their knowledge construction offered through these models and theories. (Contains 60 references.)(AEF)

A model for the analysis of simple human conceptual behavior, based on the apparent similarities of human conceptual behavior and that of infrahuman subjects, is developed. A minimum definition of conceptual behavior is given: A single response, verbal or nonverbal, under the discriminative control of a group of stimuli whose parameters are…

Argues that visual literacy should be studied through a cognitive approach, and describes principles of punctuating and structuring that can be used to develop a new standard of experimental validity. Triadic interaction theory and the role of strategies in research are discussed, as well as a new orientation to research. (BK)

This article concerns the limitations of behavioral performance analysis as it is currently conceptualized by many educational technologists, presents a new paradigm for classifying responses, and suggests a more holistic model for human performance analysis that incorporates elements of developmental, behavioral, and cognitive psychology. (Author)

This paper reports two studies that examined changes in the participants' level of moral reasoning after exposure to the Kohlberg cognitive-developmental intervention model (1975). This approach focuses on universal moral principles which are manifested in a series of developmental stages. Knowledge of these stages provides one with an outline for…

A 15-MONTH EVALUATION RESEARCH STUDY OF THE 1965 SUMMER HEAD START PROGRAMS WAS CONDUCTED THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF TEXAS. A SCHEMATIC MODEL OF INTERACTING FACTORS OPERATING THROUGH HEAD START PROGRAMS TO PRODUCE AND PREDICT CHANGES IN EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND IN OUT-OF-SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT WAS DEVELOPED. THIS MODEL GENERATED THE EMPIRICAL…

Human development from about ages 2 to 5 is presented in terms of the history of a child conceptualized in terms of stimulus and response functions and his interactions in current situations which consist of organismic, physical, and social conditions. The concepts describing the changes that occur during this developmental period, such as…

Twenty-seven kindergarten children were trained on two different double classification matrix tasks in an attempt to determine whether the tasks were hierarchically related. Prior behavior analyses of the tasks suggested that the two tasks shared many components, but that the more complex task had in addition components not included in the simpler…

Research and theories by psychologists Jean Piaget, Lawrence Kohlberg, and Robert Selman on problem solving, decision making, moral development, and critical-thinking skills are reviewed. These theories and research are combined with the author's theories to develop an original decision-making model, namely, the socio-scientific model. The model…