This article presents a scheme which would allow investigators to shift back and forth among model assumptions while maintaining the integrity of separate models of development. The scheme is illustrated in a study of 16 nursery school children's personal-social behaviors within 2 contexts during 2 time periods. (Author/JMB)

Examined the effects of labeling an infant as a boy or girl on adult-infant interactions. Subjects for the study were 24 fourteen-month-old infants and 24 adult strangers. (JMB)

Discusses four factors central to the American playground movement: backlash reaction to cognitive emphasis in early childhood education, influence of European play environments, increasing awareness of deficiencies in traditional American playgrounds, and accumulation of experience with new types of playgrounds. Cites research related to each of…

Age differences in play were examined cross-sectionally in children at 7, 9, 15, and 10 months of age. (BRT)

A brief review of educational history in America leads up to a Bicentennial reflection that the task of educators is to release children's intellectual capacity through language, creativity, and democratic living. (MM)

A condensed review of the concepts of exploration and play is presented, followed by an outline of the major research findings. From this basis, gaps in the literature and new research directions are discussed. (Author/AM)

Compared the free play activities of children who had attended kindergarten or play-centers, and those who had attended neither. (SB)

The author discusses the psychology of creativity, particularly as it relates to fostering creative expression in the classroom. (SBH)

Explores the hypothesis that play can be a useful preliminary experience for the more advanced problem-solving involved in mathematical concept formation. (Author/RK)

This study analyzed the social interaction sequences and behavioral components of social interaction in two toddler playgroups across a 7-month period. Playgroup number 1 was composed of 6 male toddlers aged 1 year and playgroup number 2 was composed of 6 male toddlers aged 16 months. (JMB)

Contingent praise by classroom teachers was used to cue and reinforce cross-sex cooperative play in 2 nursery school classes of 4-year-old children. Results suggested that previous learning and/or current classroom contingencies may reinforce same-sex playmate choices when teachers do not deliberately reinforce play between boys and girls. (JMB)

This study was undertaken to ascertain which types of listener feedback lead to effective communication by observing how 4-year-olds adapt their speech to a peer listener during free play. (JMB)

This article examines the philosophic basis of play in physical education. Specifically discussed are: (1) current and historical perspectives of play in physical education; (2) why physical educators have an aversion to play in the classroom; (3) and the immediate need for the play-directed experience to be the cornerstone of physical education.…

The Sequential Prompt Reduction Technique (SPRT) was used with a 5-year-old severely retarded boy to develop his play skills. The SPRT has four components: identification of a desired terminal behavior, establishment of task sequences, delineation of prompts, and establishment of a prompt sequence. (DB)

A social interaction intervention program implemented with three groups of preschool hearing-impaired children increased positive interaction, sharing, and conversation. Generalization of skills was observed when toys incorporated into intervention activities were presented during free-play probes. The importance of incorporating generalization…