Reports research on teachers' beliefs about children's development. Discusses (1) teachers' estimates of ages at which children succeed on tasks, (2) teachers' ability to engage in task analysis, (3) their view of children's error, and (4) their view of developmental accounts. Concludes that good teachers' beliefs provide an inadequate basis for…

Explains 2 decision-making problems presented to 188 undergraduates enrolled in introductory psychology classes to teach the principles governing individual and collective decisions. Shows individual interest outweighed mutual benefit. Promotes active learning about psychology and scientific skills while stimulating personal development (CH)

Summarizes a study of questionnaire responses by British and Hong Kong Chinese students rating preferred traits in friends and romantic partners. Reports that romantic partners were expected to be more honest and caring than friends. Lists three principal preferences: kindness/consideration, extroversion, and sensitivity. Finds sensitivity…

The present study outlines a specific three-level hierarchy of the cognitive system, in particular the relationship between cognitive and metacognitive processes in mathematics. The emphasis is on the impact of processing efficiency and working memory ability on the development of self-representation and mathematical performance. We developed and…

Because children and young teenagers usually associate in same-sex groups, psychological research concerned with adolescent aggression has often concentrated on within-sex relationships. However, during adolescence, boys and girls increasingly interact socially. This paper reports a study of boy-to-girl aggression as perceived by girls, boys and…

Because human behavior is dynamic and influenced by multiple interacting variables, questions have emerged regarding the usefulness of a science that relies heavily on experimental methodologies. A review of current scientific practices in psychology illuminates how the cognitive authority of the field exonerates the standard view of science. This…

This ethnographic study documents and interprets key school, work, and family life issues in the lives and experiences of a sampling of recent immigrants from the war-torn Central American nations; and suggests a psychocultural theory of achievement motivation. Information was gathered from observation in two urban high schools, interviews with 50…

A study was conducted in the teacher training program at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington to explore the degree to which novice teachers apply the concepts, principles, and attitudes of ISD (instructional systems development) in their instructional planning and their beliefs regarding the efficacy of ISD principles for planning and…

Research has shown contradictory results on the relationship of infant attachment security to play and mastery behavior, at times predicting the cognitive quality of play and at other times predicting the affective quality of play. In order to test the hypotheses that, during play, attachment security would predict only positive affect,…

Some researchers argue that males and females develop moral reasoning in the same manner, while others contend that males tend toward moral judgements based on the concept of "Justice" and women base their judgements on "Care." A third school argues that neither such cognitive elements as justice and care are as important as…

This exploratory study of the effects of the new visual communications media imagery (e.g., video games, digital television, and computer graphics) on the visual perception process is designed to provide a theoretical framework for research, introduce appropriate research instruments for such study, and experiment with the application of biometric…

Two studies investigated the differential effects of organizational cuing and strategy training on learning disabled (LD) adolescents, a group which, it has been suggested, is particularly insensitive to the effects of organizational cues. Participants for the first study included 37 LD and 50 nonhandicapped high school students who were randomly…

Four models are discussed with which to view students, educational goals, and learning environments. Each of the four theories emphasizes a unique aspect of the total development process. Piaget's model describes the development of structures and processes which characterize mature logical thinking. Perry provides a closer look at students'…

Lateral brain research can be used to develop an understanding and appreciation of the vocational and occupational significance of black expressive behavior manifested in some blacks. Historically, employers have placed primary emphasis on cognitive abilities--functions of the left side of the brain. Research has shown, however, that the right…

This paper examines the cognitive processes associated with higher-order thinking strategies--i.e., cognitive processes directly associated with the employment of knowledge in the service of problem solving and creativity--in order to more clearly define a prescribed instructional method to improve problem-solving skills. The first section of the…