Among children ranging in age from 5.5 to 7.5 years, there was no evidence that social conflict engineered in dyads composed of a conserver and a nonconserver stimulated cognitive change. It is concluded that the ineffectiveness of symmetrical social conflict is consistent with Piaget's conception of nonconservers. (RH)

A five-stage model is presented which proposes that majority and minority group members go through parallel, but somewhat different, stages in developing cross-cultural awareness. The five stages described for each group, with transitions between them, are as follows: unawareness, beginning awareness, conscious awareness, consolidated awareness,…

Uses writings of Paulo Freire to discuss situation of British primary teachers required to teach science without specialized training. Cites interviews with teachers that point to cultural clashes between National Curriculum physics and primary practice. Conflicts exist between facilitating child-centered discovery learning and teaching, and…

This article contrasts the philosophies of early childhood special education and early childhood education and discusses a service delivery approach, known as activity-based intervention, which combines strategies for both fields and utilizes behavior analytic techniques within child-directed activities. (Author/DB)

Examined the developmental sequence through which adolescents progress in solving a physics problem (balance beam ratio and proportion) and a social problem (predicting the behavior of a story character). Although most of the 9- through 19-year-olds performed at predictable and similar developmental stages on each task, a minority were more…

Maintains that most educational institutions still treat students as dependent children and teach largely irrelevant material. Argues for a broader philosophical examination of the teacher/student roles. Concludes that the juxtaposition of autonomy and dependence, especially with older students may require more subtlety than schools possess. (MJP)

Investigated the developmental processes that lead from a literal interpretation of idiomatic expressions to the ability to comprehend and produce them figuratively. Results showed that younger children are more literally oriented than older children, who in turn are more idiomatically oriented, and that children of both age groups found it more…

Explored gender constancy's interaction with television viewing, using videotapes of television viewing and viewing diaries for 5-year olds. Gender-constant boys focused on more male characters and watched more action and sports programs than preconstant boys. Gender-constant girls viewed more action programming than preconstant girls. Acquisition…

Interviews with 204 Finnish college students provide evidence that the student years are no longer a classically academic life stage. Today's students in Finland divide life between study and part-time employment. The student culture has lost its independence and vitality, and students' life-worlds have become fragmented. (SLD)

Reevaluates the role of dependence in late-life development using concepts drawn from psychology, sociology, social work, gerontology, and scholarship on women's development. Presents old age as a time of continued positive growth and change. Argues against prevailing notions that successful aging features independence and health until death. (RJM)

Reviews and integrates research on the short-term and long-term impact of different forms of child maltreatment. Notes that scant studies concerning physical and motor development suggest psychobiological consequences of abuse; studies on social and emotional development indicate significant impact of abuse; and studies of cognitive/academic…

Compares interview results to identify moral stages of United States and Japanese adults. Includes findings of postconventional reasoners to substantiate evidence of postconventional stages as adult stages. Reports major cultural differences in the approach to the fundamental value of human life. Suggests a need for examination of the conception…

Five principles of learning for young children with handicaps (functioning below a developmental age of one year) are presented, with descriptions of strategies that can be used to facilitate ascendance to higher levels of cognitive-social-communicative functioning. The principles include frequent adult-child interactions, meaningful context for…

Examines the relationships between the development of proportional reasoning strategies and three cognitive variables from Pascual-Leone's and Case's neo-Piagetian theories: (1) degree of field independence; (2) M-space; and (3) short-term storage space. Describes the ability of students to transfer problem-solving schemata to new contexts as well…

A readiness for effective empathy training develops during the same time period that secure abstract thought, augmented moral development, and the ability to introspect appear--during the college years. College females initially showed higher empathy scores, but both genders were equally teachable, being most effectively taught during college…