Scores of sixty junior high students on a validated test show little or no correlation by sex, grade, age, I. Q. or map reading. They did correlate significantly with spatial relations skills and mechanical reasoning skills. Scale of the photo was not a significant variable, but students identified more cultural features than physical. They also…

In order to deal with the multiple social problems caused by intercultural tensions in American society, we must build a well-developed philosophy of culture. (CK)

A study examining readers' ability to infer consequences backward and forward from events described in stories is described. Results show that backward consequence inferences are more reliably drawn during the course of reading than forward consequence inferences. (MSE)

Three experiments tested contrasting predictions of a dual-representation theory and a context availability model of concreteness effects in verbal processing. Without context, reading times/lexical decision times for abstract sentences/words were longer than for concrete sentences/words. Rated context availability was a good predictor of reaction…

This experiment in reasoning attempted to discover why simple logic tasks cause problems. An initial group investigation preceded the experiment, which tested two hypotheses: that subjects presented with a "four-card" problem make irrational responses, and that successful completion of a programed text will reduce irrational responses.…

Piaget's theory of cognitive developmental levels is criticized on the grounds that it blends empirical and philosophical issues of knowledge and, therefore, confuses genetic psychology and epistemology. (JN)

Whether overgeneralization of quantified relations in a story reflects reasonable inferences from the story's theme was examined. Subjects read narratives with similar story structures but different thematic conflicts. Recognition results showed that overgeneralization "errors" are systematic, consistent with thematic elements of the…

Discusses the nature of wisdom and its function in the developmental process and how it differs from cognitive ability. Compares these two constructs with respect to the domains of behavior they represent, the operational tasks used to assess them, and the relationship of logic and time in their development. (Author)

This research study shows that it is possible to advance the use of proportional reasoning of many secondary school students by means of a well-designed teaching program. (MP)

Sixty middle-class and 60 lower-class children between the ages of three and five were asked to respond to six types of "wh-questions." Social class significantly affected the overall frequency of correct responses within each age group of children tested. (Author/DB)

All of the children were presented conservation of liquid and weight problems and 12 metaphor items. The results suggest that hearing loss did not affect the solution of either conservation or metaphor. (Author)

Presents a model used to help students of instructional technology conceptualize the range of instructional designs they might utilize and which could be used to classify existing materials for easy reference. (CHC)

LD readers' failures were associated with a greater number of word recognition and vocabulary errors suggesting that LD readers were unable to extract enough relevant information to apply a successful line of reasoning. For related information see EC 132 758-768. (Author)

An investigation of adult reasoning processes revealed that the more relevant the cognitive task was to the developmental task of the learner, the better the performance was likely to be. (JD)