Three types of lay theories about the social world form a developmental sequence. Earlier developing theories are reorganized at the next level into a more inclusive, encompassing view of the world in order to make better predictions. The absolute thinker sees the world as fixed and unchanging, reasons with absolute rules, and has a narrow world…

To test the claim that verbs consistently occur in particular illocutionary contexts and that illocutionary context thus should be included in models of early verb meanings, a Dutch-speaking child participated in a naturalistic case study in his home, as he grew between the ages of two and three years. The researcher taped the child's interactions…

To evaluate different strategies for improving students' comprehension skills, particularly their inference ability, 42 fifth grade students identified as good or average readers were placed into one of three groups for an eight-week instructional period. Students in one group, the Content and Structure group, received systematic attention, story…

This report summarizes research on experienced programmers' comprehension of computer programs that was carried out over a three-year contract period (1982-85). Following an extensive review of the programming skill literature, an analysis of programs based on the multiple abstractions (points-of-view) that characterize program text and design was…

Although there are marked individual differences in the effect of aging on learning and performing motor skills, there is agreement that humans process information less efficiently with advanced age. Significant decrements have been found specifically with motor tasks that are characterized as externally-paced, rapid, complex, and requiring rapid…

In a study designed to further define individual differences in reading comprehension, 200 students enrolled in developmental reading courses at a large urban university participated in an experiment that investigated the relationship between personality type and reading comprehension. The students took a reading comprehension test consisting of…

The approach taken to discourse analysis that classifies text types according to isolated linguistic features is criticized, and an alternative approach to argumentative texts is proposed. This approach looks at the process of argumentation as an instance of the problem-solving process. The argumentative text is then seen as moving from the…

Noting that the idea of linguistic case has evolved from an account of noun affixes (surface case) to an account of how syntactic relations between noun phrases and sentences map into deep relations between objects and events (deep case), this paper examines the notion of deep case as it applies to natural language understanding. Following a…

The final report of the 2-year project describes the development and validation of microcomputer software to help assess reading disabled elementary grade children and to provide basic reading instruction. Accomplishments of the first year included: design of the STAR Neuro-Cognitive Assessment Program which includes a reproduction of…

A major focus in all areas of education today is the impact of education on students' ability to use higher order thinking skills. Understanding and improving the knowledge, cognitive abilities, and dispositions that guide, organize, and form effective action in the workplace, home, and community are significant problems for vocational education.…

A large and representative 10% sample of classrooms consisting of 1,587 students from a mid-western province in Canada was administered a standardized achievement test battery. This battery consisted of four tests, Reading, Mathematics, Written Expression, and Using Sources of Information. Gender and rural-urban differences in achievement and…

Based on the concept that readiness for reading is brought about by the nurturing of a child's physical, social, emotional, and intellectual growth, this guidebook presents reading readiness guidelines and carefully planned workshop activities designed to provide a classroom climate conducive to discovery and language development. The first…

The first of three articles on the ways in which people formulate their observations, this paper considers the basic assumptions of both syntactic and paradigmatic models of cognition and their applications in natural (i.e., human) and artificial (i.e., computer) information processing. The analysis begins with background information on the nature…

Discussion reflects on the notions of the constructionist viewpoint in development, of integration, and of individual uniqueness, by drawing on studies of mother-infant interaction, the development of 24-hour infant state organization and regulation, and life span development. The logic of construction by which an individual shapes his or her…

Psychologists and educators interested in factors that might influence mathematical ability have examined intelligence, motivation, and attitudes toward mathematics. More recently, sex role and cognitive style have entered the picture. The relationships among intelligence, field dependence, sex role, mathematics background, and mathematical…