Children's acquisition of tool use abilities is an important part of development but is not yet well understood. This study compares two modes of tool-use learning, observation and individual haptic experience. Two- and 3-year-olds had haptic experience with tools, observed tool use by others, had both haptic and observational experience, or no…

Prenatally and in infants and toddlers, the brain is being constructed as a foundation for all later learning. Positive early experiences contribute to the formation of a brain that is capable, early in infancy, of utilizing and strengthening the basic processes of learning. Throughout a lifetime, a person will repeatedly use these approaches to…

Discusses the importance of modeling, hints, and other information contexts for providing a link to establishing new problem-solving strategies for toddlers and older children. Discusses the use of the microgenetic approach for yielding valuable information about strategic development despite the lack of availability of verbal reports. Suggests…

A study examined the role of phonological regression in the language learning patterns of two toddlers. The children's phonological development was measured by inventories of the words produced at the beginning and end of an eight-week period, and distinctions were made between regressions due to cognitive factors and those due to non-cognitive…