This research attempted to expand Piaget's study of children's thinking to include the content and the development of their concepts of death and the impact of experience on those concepts. One hundred twenty-two, middle-class, native-born boys and girls, aged three through twelve years were interviewed. Concepts were found to be composed of nine…

In order to enhance the understanding of visual literacy, one of its constituents, visual learning (VL), is examined in terms of underlying assumptions, hypothesized behaviors, and implications of both assumptions and behaviors. Assumptions are: (1) VL encompasses all changes in behavior arising from the individual's responses to visual…

This study examined the relationship between seventh graders' self-concept and level of cognitive development. It was hypothesized that level of cognitive development would predict self-concept response style (the tendency to select either extreme or less extreme descriptors on a likert-type scale), and that less cognitively mature young…

The unified theory described in this paper characterizes human reasoning as an information processing system with a hierarchical sequence of components and subtheories that account for performance on successively narrower tasks. Both deductive and inductive theories are subsumed in the unified componential theory, including transitive chain theory…

Two variables involved in attitude change provided the basis for this study, the cognitive complexity of the subject and the dimensions of stimulus materials. After a pretest, 165 interpersonal communication students were divided into two groups according to their cognitive complexity levels. The dimensions of the stimulus were presented on two…

This document presents a summary of proceedings at a conference on schooling and the acquisition of knowledge, and contains twelve formal papers, formal comments by discussants, and informal discussion by conference attendees. Topics covered in the twelve papers are: (1) types of knowledge and purposes of education; (2) schooling and the…

The complex and multi-faceted nature of the cognitive process of reasoning is discussed. The factor-analytic history of the isolation and definition of the three most important currently recognized reasoning factors (general reasoning, induction, and logical or deductive reasoning) is traced through the psychometric literature, and the…

The "practical" approach currently emphasized in teacher education is critically appraised and contrasted with a more "intellectual" approach. It is suggested that more emphasis on intellectual activities is needed in teacher education and a number of arguments are presented to support a change in that direction. It is suggested that the quality…

This study discusses the importance of comprehension in reading and describes a tool for measuring reading comprehension according to an individual reader's "structures of meaning." The procedure for developing a visual representation of this structure involves three distinct steps. After reading the text, student and teacher employ techniques,…

This paper develops a comprehensive and coordinated strategy for teaching critical reading and rational decision-making skills to college students. Five skills are identified as essential for developing sound reasoning processes: (1) developing an objective viewpoint, (2) identifying and clarifying an evaluative statement--the difference between…

This study develops an information model based on the processes involved in reading and listening as a step toward constructing a single framework for understanding both these skills. Assuming that analogous structures and processes occur in reading and listening, similar experimental questions are asked in both areas. The model incorporates data…

This document is a collection of six energy education activities for junior high school science. Its purpose is to help promote knowledge about energy, provide laboratory experiences, provoke inquiry, and relate energy to society through the science curriculum. The six activities are designed to take one to three class periods. Two of the…

This literature review presents the essentials of the theory of Values Clarification and its fundamental terms, and makes a critical analysis of the Values Clarification Theory of Valuation. (Author/JLL)

This paper conjectures about motivational, behavioral, and contextual factors in the transferability of vocational skills--factors which will influence performance when and if movement into or across jobs occurs. It is assumed that skill transfer depends upon similarity within and among motivational, contextual, and behavioral factors, referred to…

Using between subject designs, Tversky and Sherman (1975) and Weaver (1974) demonstrated that increases in the blank interval (offtime) separating two successive pictures leads to improved performance on retention tests. If this improvement results from active rehearsal strategies, subjects should be able to differentially rehearse pictures cued…