This study investigates the efficiency of "segmented ludicization" in language learning, i.e., the method considering learners' cognitive processing in ludicized learning experiences. This method transforms traditional didactic environments into playable procedures involving intervals for learners' knowledge digestions and retrievals.…

Describes the sequences of Geneva middle-class school children in a block balancing task. It attempts to pave the way towards understanding the general processes of cognitive behavior. Analysis focuses on the interplay between the child's action sequences and his implicit theories which the observer infers from the sequences rather than from his…

The cognitive processes involved in a child's interaction with the linguistic environment are discussed. Specifically, the general cognitive processes involved in outputting long spans of connected utterances are examined. Narrative data are classified into three developmental levels: the procedural phase, where the linguistic output is generated…

Two studies were conducted, with three-to-five-year-olds, to assess the relationship between language comprehension and production and the development of quantity concepts. The asymmetry of acquisition of adjectives, "big" and "little," was also assessed, as well as differences in the acquisition of the underlying concepts. In Experiment 1, it was…

This investigation gives attention to the developmental course and influence of social class on self-directed, private speech. The Ss were 108 white, middle and lower class pre-school, first and third grade children. Two measures of receptive vocabulary were administered as background language measures. The experimental task required S to sort…

This profile of significant research findings comprises a framework for analyzing and synthesizing information on the cognitive development of children. The variables used to systematize the literature search were: perception; motor development; language; conceptual activity; and learning, memory, and problem solving. The findings are arranged…

Illustrates how children constantly solve communication puzzles in the course of language acquisition and offers suggestions for teachers and parents to assist children in their understanding of language. (HTH)

This paper outlines the syntactic structures which represent a stage in the cognitive development of children, and focusses on an aspect of cognitive development known as conservation. The cognitive components of conservation are presented as the primordial base for the set of syntactic structures which map or mirror them. Piaget proposed four…

Examined the relationship of maternal interaction and private speech to task performance, using a sample of four- and five-year-old children. Findings underscore the positive, self-regulatory function of private speech, highlight the role of adult communicative support in extending the child's competencies, and call attention to the cognitive and…

An attempt to answer questions surrounding the teaching of oral communication to children is presented. In each section, a pattern is followed. First comes the presentation of an example. Second, there is an explanation of the teaching efforts which led up to this oral product. Third, the author adds comments and raises questions to help the…

Examines characteristics of the mental processes required for writing, compares and contrasts the nature of processing required for other cognitive activities, and reviews recent research on children's writing that reveals the advantages as well as disadvantages of superimposing writing skills over well-developed language skills. (HOD)

Judgements about the acceptability of anomalous and non-anomalous sentences were elicted from children between the ages of 2;0 and 5;0. The aim was to see how the children's direct experience might affect their recognition of semantic constraints, and how far their experience would generalize. (Author)

Hypothesizing that severely language delayed children lack sufficient understanding of causal structure to comprehend stories, a reading program concentrated on developing the causal reasoning of 10 children between the ages of 10 and 12 with a verbal intelligence quotient two to three years below average. Instructional activities in the…

This symposium report on current child development research in Germany includes abstracts from papers presented at the biennial meeting of SRCD, April 1975, and a short overview of the history and present status of developmental research and training in Germany. According to this overview, developmental theory and empirical research, which had…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 20 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: use of word information cues by beginning readers; the relationship between problem solving and oral reading strategies; the ease with which children learn…