Addresses personal construct systems as vocational schemas, describing a cognitive structural model of vocational development. Illustrates practical application of the model through the use of a vocational repertory grid test in career counseling. (SK)

Examined questionnaire completed by 142 adult female incest survivors. Hypothesized that closeness between offender and survivor at time of abuse (perceived incestuousness) was related to adult functioning and this relationship could be explained by level of accomplishment of 3 cognitive coping tasks. Mediational model was not supported because…

Presents arguments, based on Thomas Kuhn's work, that most research on rural and small schools proceeds from previous scientific achievements, and that researchers' (outsiders') preconceived and approximated reality forces the nature of rural and small schools into an inflexible box. Contains 40 references. (Author/SV)

Examines the processes an engineer goes through as he/she writes a routine and a non-routine document--processes that are strongly affected by the degree to which his/her company has previously accepted the claims he/she makes as given or as knowledge. Discusses the collaborative nature of work in an organization. (MS)

Considered are two commonly used techniques, the interview and word association techniques. Highlighted is a third technique called the repertory grid. This third technique can be used to interpret students' knowledge based on an explicit, psychological theory of human behavior. (Author/CW)

In a comparison of cognitive processes and knowledge structures of expert and novice parents, interview data and verbal records were collected during two visits to five expert and seven novice mothers of infants. Results indicate clear differences between experts and novices in goals for the child, parent role, problem solving, and cue recognition…

Examines whether cognitive complexity and behavioral complexity exert significant effects on impression differentiation. Finds that, while individuals exposed to behaviorally complex messages tended to form more differentiated impressions of the message source, the effect of complex messages on source differentiation was strongest for persons with…

Examined 10- to 13-year-old boys' development of knowledge structure and sport performance in tennis by comparing skills and knowledge of experts and novices. Experts focused on higher concepts and exhibited greater decision-making ability because of their more highly developed knowledge structure. (SAK)

Discusses the term concept and claims that the use of certain strategies to overcome the loss of multiplication facts due to brain damage is evidence of conceptual knowledge and that infants have rudimentary arithmetical knowledge. (MKR)

Examines the position of students' understanding of natural phenomena as being theoretical. Reviews philosophical and cognitive arguments presented by G. Hills in support of such a position. Advances alternate viewpoints. (Author/MKR)

Mezirow restates the major ideas of his transformation theory and addresses criticisms in terms of adult development, ideology, and Freire's concept of conscientization. Tennant and Newman's reactions are followed by Mezirow's response. (SK)

Ability to identify the sexes, understanding of gender group membership, temporal stability of gender, and gender consistency over situational changes were assessed in a sample of 61 boys and girls of 3-5 years of age. Findings suggested that only a rudimentary understanding of gender is acquired by children before the sex-typing process begins.…

Presents three types of simple events knowledge models: (1) a simple list of events; (2) a list of cause-effect sequences; and (3) a list of events that describe a problem and its solution. (SR)

Defines and describes the processes by which students acquire new knowledge: accretion, tuning, and restructuring. Relates these processes to knowledge models presented in earlier columns. Discusses extension activities. (RS)

Considers event phenomena and how such phenomena might be understood in terms of process knowledge models. Presents the step and stage process knowledge model, the classification process knowledge model, and the conditional process knowledge model. (SR)