The development of the ability to identify unstated assumptions in arguments should begin in the kindergarten and elementary school if a high level of proficiency is eventually to be reached in sizing up assertions. A clear thinker needs to make sure that propositions are clear by making unstated assumptions explicit. Since children commonly use…

A workable theory of instruction appears to depend upon the development of measurement instruments, which operationally define concepts such as transfer, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation, to make possible empirical investigation of the relationships of methods of instruction and learner variables to the attainment of different types of…

Investigated were the inferences that children draw from science tests and their relation to the intuitive, concrete and formal levels of thinking and mental development postulated by Piaget. It was found that the older the pupil is, both chronologically and mentally, or the higher his grade placement, the more frequently he uses the formal level…

This paper presents a system for describing and categorizing various theories of language and thinking. Within this system, theories are described in terms of their position on three basic issues: (1) the direction of dependency between language and cognition, (2) the necessity of that dependency, and (3) the level of specificity at which the…

The use of decision tables--which are a means of linking decision rules for actions to specific sets of prior conditions--in information systems design and development is described. Procedures for preparing decision tables are presented together with examples of their application in the context of library acquisitions. A bibliography is also…

Increased interest in the problems associated with lower socio-economic urban schools has suggested possible differences between urban and suburban teachers. A Study was therefore undertaken to contrast the philosophic orientation, logical consistency, and teaching attitudes of elementary and secondary school teachers in two St. Louis school…

Conditional logic, as interpreted in this paper, means deductive logic characterized by "if-then" statements. This study sought to investigate the knowledge of conditional logic possessed by primary children and to test their readiness to learn such concepts. Ninety students were designated the experimental group and participated in a…

Conservation of a property is the ability to recognize that the property in question hasn't altered, even though other properties have been varied. It is Piaget's view, confirmed by empirical evidence that children are not able to conserve length until age 7 or 8. Recent concern over confounding variables led to the present study in which the…

This paper reviewed (a) conceptualization, (b) research, and (c) theories of inductive reasoning and, in turn, proposed both a behaviorally-oriented definition and matching process model. The overall conclusion was that, in spite of the pervasiveness and importance of induction as a knowledge generation process, research and theoretical activities…

This booklet is one of the National Humanities Faculty publications designed to examine the question of what is taught, and why. This dialogue between Edwin Delattre and Thomas Donovan explores how humans go about reasoning and solving problems according to their collective, reflective intelligence. (Author/MJ)

Describes a six-week summer program in which a group of inner-city, high school graduates participated in activities designed to promote logical thinking. Four Piagetian tasks were used as pre- and post-tests and showed that the course promoted significant improvements in logical thought. (MLH)

The standard methods of the social sciences do not provide all the tools necessary to probe into the fundamental questions on the relationship between individuals and their environment. Proposes that social studies teachers try to clarify and examine the hidden assumptions which are part of classroom discussions and social studies textbooks.…

Research results of several studies are used as a basis for suggesting some guidelines for teaching measurement concepts. Prerequisite concepts and skills are given emphasis. (MP)

Examines children's ability to make both logical and pragmatic presuppositional inferences and to discriminate between the two as a function of contextual information. Five- and eight-year-old children served as subjects. (BD)

The extent of a child's sense of how story should progress logically from beginning to end helps him to gain fluency and pleasure in reading. (JD)