A study of 62 children (ages 7 to 12) with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 62 controls found that behavioral variables established robust, statistically significant differences between groups. Children with ADHD also scored worse on 31 out of 61 neuropsychological variables, but obtained better scores on WISC-R Comprehension…

Explores a new educational application of Piaget's theories of cognitive development: the use, as a teaching tool, of physical robots conceived as artificial organisms. Reviews educational projects using real robots. Shows that the use of intelligent systems to enlarge the view of biological reality could become an integral part of curricula in…

Examines the beliefs about the functions of talk with the relational partner and in social situations. Indicates that there are differences as a consequence of gender, marital status, and "marital orientation." (CR)

Elaborates on the concept of information going through a cultural revolution. Suggests that students require active intellectual skills such as the ability to scan, to make connections, and to manipulate many forms of information. Argues that science educators need to reconceptualize the theory and practice of learning in a digital age.…

Asks how mapping changes in the visual culture of comparative education before and after the postmodern turn could increase understanding about the emergence of social mapping. Illustrates modernist scopic regimes, describes how social cartography has elaborated a new social mapping rationale, and notes implications for theory and practice of…

The relative roles of general cognitive ability, speed and efficiency of elemental cognitive processing, and oral reading fluency in the prediction of reading comprehension are examined using multiple regression. The construct validity of the curriculum-based approach to measurement of reading comprehension is supported. Reliability is assessed…

Examines coverage of critical thinking in 37 full-length introductory psychology textbooks published from 1955 to 1997. Checks for coverage of scientific thinking, cognitive biases in thinking, and difficulties in statistical reasoning. Suggests that findings should facilitate the review and decision process for instructors interested in…

Examines relationships between students' motivational and epistemological perspectives--or personal frameworks for science learning--and their cognitive engagement with peers during collaborative knowledge-building tasks. Contains 91 references. (DDR)

Reviews the fundamental role of imagery in science and technology and our current knowledge of visual-spatial cognition. Results suggest that individual differences in perspectives should not be ignored. Contains 126 references. (DDR)

Discusses the role of chemical-equation problem solving in helping students predict reaction products. Methods for helping students learn this process must be taught to students and future teachers by using pedagogical skills within the content of chemistry. Emphasizes that solving chemical reactions should involve creative cognition where…

Teachers sometimes create boxes that isolate students and hinder authentic learning, using the classroom, the unit, and the textbook as the boundaries of the instructional approach. (DDR)

Investigates predictions derived from the Karmiloff Smith framework for understanding the process of cognitive development. Finds broad support for the model but also indicates that behavior for some tasks is more variable than expected; and, contrary to expectations, that more abstract tasks did not disrupt behavior to any large extent. (DSK)

Discusses situative perspective as a framework for integrating issues of theoretical assumptions, educational practices, and educational research. In this perspective, the focus of theoretical principles is at the level of interaction among people and between people and their environments. Contains three pages of references. (MMU)

Explores the utility of mental models as learning outcomes in using complex and situated learning environments. Describes two studies: one aimed at eliciting mental models in the heads of novice refrigeration technicians, and the other an ethnographic study eliciting knowledge and models within the community of experienced refrigeration…

Discusses the nature of speech perceptual capacities that infants possess, changes that come about with increased exposure to language, how growing understanding of native-language sound organization is used in developing word-segmentation strategies, and how developing word-segmentation abilities may facilitate discovery of grammatical…