Asserts that much of the theorizing and research about social stratification and mobility is linked to industrial society, recommending that as industrial society gives way to knowledge society, a fresh examination of the material and cognitive foundations constitutive of new forms of social inequality is needed. Explains how knowledge as a…

Examined relationships among suicidal indices, hopelessness, and social desirability of subjects (N=97) receiving treatment at psychiatric crisis intervention unit. Found hopelessness and measure of social desirability were significant indicators of suicidal manifestations. Results suggest that sense of general capability buffers link of…

This overview of the writings of Manfred Kochen focuses on the pervasive theme of the growth, fragmentation, and integration of knowledge. Topics discussed include information science; the problem of fragmentation and specialization in the growth of knowledge; knowledge structures and cognitive science; and the application of Kochen's ideas to…

Children (n=336) in grades 1-5 were interviewed individually using a Piagetian task to study development from additive to multiplicative thinking. Multiplicative thinking was found to appear early (in 45% of second graders) but to develop slowly (only 48% of fifth graders used consistently solid multiplicative thinking). (Author/MKR)

Seven experiments involving over 700 undergraduate students investigated whether the naturalness of abstract category structures varies with content domain. Results indicate that the structure of knowledge varies with domain and that it would be difficult to formulate general constraints on categorization in terms of abstract structural…

Argues that the brain is the seat of cognition, that cognitive processes are neutral processes, and that, in the brain, affect and cognition are distinguishable but inseparable. This perspective allows a reconceptualization of the affective filter in terms of the brain's stimulus appraisal system, which interacts with cognition to promote or…

Reports that learners' alternative ideas in science may be coherent, stable, and theory-like. Studies how a learner can simultaneously hold several alternative explanatory schemes, each of which is persistent over time and applied coherently across a wide range of overlapping contexts. Concludes that the manifold nature of learners' conceptions…

Explores two differing perspectives of the nature of students' biological knowledge structures, conceptual frameworks, and phenomenological primitives (p-prims). Indicates that although a more prevalent description of student conceptions could not be discounted, p-prim of need as rationale for change was found to offer useful description of…

Discusses the relationships between physical, mathematical, and mental models in the process of constructing and understanding physical theories. Attempts to interpret research findings with college students regarding mental models and physics education under the framework of Johnson-Laird's mental model theory. (Author/MM)

One sentence answer to the question in the title is that the ability to prove depends on forms of knowledge to which most student are rarely, if ever, exposed. Presents more detailed analysis, drawing on research in mathematics education and classroom experiences. (Contains 44 references.) (Author/ASK)

The use of knowledge space theory (KST), to assess students' understanding and integration of the different representations in an introductory chemistry course are described. KST is a useful tool for revealing various aspects of students' cognitive structure in chemistry.

The results from 3 category learning experiments suggest that items are better remembered when they violate a salient knowledge structure such as a rule. The more salient the knowledge structure, the stronger the memory for deviant items. The effect of learning errors on subsequent recognition appears to be mediated through the imposed knowledge…

In order to reduce overall costs of developing high-quality digital courses (including both the content, and the learning and teaching activities), the exchange of learning objects has been recognized as a promising solution. This article makes an inventory of the issues involved in the exchange of learning objects within a community. It explores…

Determining students' knowledge structure is important for assessing what a learner knows about a domain of knowledge. Traditional assessment methods are not always appropriate for exploring students' knowledge structure and changes during the learning period. This study investigates how the existing knowledge structure of the learners interacts…

During the last few decades, the author and his colleagues have developed an instructional framework for infusing thinking into content instruction in every subject and at every grade level. In thinking-based learning, teachers explicitly teach students thinking strategies and important habits of mind and then give students opportunities to apply…