The authors outline a cognitive and computational account of causal learning in children. They propose that children use specialized cognitive systems that allow them to recover an accurate "causal map" of the world: an abstract, coherent, learned representation of the causal relations among events. This kind of knowledge can be perspicuously…

The problem of recognizing phonological variations in the speech input has triggered numerous treatments in speech processing models. Two areas of current controversy are the possibility of phonological underspecification in the mental lexicon and the nature of the mapping mechanism from the speech signal to the abstract lexical entry. We present…

The hypothesis that native language (L1) proficiency promotes English acquisition and overall academic achievement, a key theoretical assumption underlying bilingual education, was tested using latent growth modeling of data from 899 limited-English-proficient (LEP) eighth graders who were followed for 12 years in the National Education…

The prevailing discourse informing most Canadian training and labor market policy assumes a positive link between individuals' training and their labor market returns in the new knowledge economy. The primary objective of the study is to test the current rhetoric by developing a statistical model of women's job-related training. Training…

By investigating undergraduates' epistemological orientations and processes in academic and personal contexts, this study examined whether and how epistemological development in one context is related to development in another context. The focus of this particular study was on tension regarding the contextuality of epistemological development. The…

In 3 experiments, 9-month-old infants' expectations for what distinct count noun labels refer to were investigated. In Experiment 1, a box was opened to reveal 2 objects inside during familiarization: either 2 identical objects or 2 different objects. Test trials followed the same procedure, except before the box was opened, the contents were…

Existing frameworks for explaining spatial knowledge acquisition in a new environment propose either stage-like or continuous development. To examine the spatial microgenesis of individuals, a longitudinal study was conducted. Twenty-four college students were individually driven along two routes in a previously unfamiliar neighborhood over 10…

Researchers usually explain individual offending in terms of background factors like low self-control and association with delinquent peers. Such factors reflect the routine or typical aspects of the individual's life over an extended period of time and they influence the individual's predisposition for crime. Researchers also sometimes explain…

Purpose: This purpose of this study was to investigate the lexical and semantic fast mapping ability of young children with specific language impairment (SLI) and normal language (NL), with a specific emphasis on the influence of phonological factors. Method: The study included 46 children (mean age 58 months), half with SLI and half with NL.…

Cognitive cause maps permit a topological investigation of the complexity of organizational events and behaviors. Because cognitive cause maps are believed to be ordered according to a givens-means-ends schema, they contain information about an individual's motivation structure. In a work setting an individual engages in several different acts.…

A study was conducted which continued the investigation of the underlying structure of supervision by empirically testing Bernard's (1979) model of supervision using a confirmatory multidimensional scaling paradigm. To accomplish this, counselor trainees' perceptions of the underlying structure (dimensionality or cognitive map) of supervision were…

Developed a cognitive mapping technique to investigate psychological propensities that increase one's risk for substance abuse. Male and female frequent users (N=400) and nonusers (N=400) were sampled and gender differences in substance abuse were examined. Results indicate that men show greater vulnerability, overall, to substance abuse than do…

Analysis of 1,475 transcripts of online discussions among 7 student learning groups (n=38) with diverse learning styles indicated that most groups seem to respond to diversity by accommodation or elaboration rather than transformation. Few groups seem to invest the resources needed to capitalize on cognitive diversity and engage in nonroutine…

Assesses hypermedia design issues and examines how learners access information in a hierarchically organized hypermedia environment. Evaluates three browsing methods: "hotwords" and two distinctively different cognitive mapping architectures. Results suggest that the inclusion of a properly constructed cognitive map can diminish feelings…

Studied spatial knowledge in fully blind versus fully sighted four- to nine-year olds. Found that blind children performed as well as sighted on all tasks but one. (ETB)