Although the study of the acquisition of a first language has been split by a controversy between the "innatists" and the "behaviorists," neither group has given enough consideration to the relationship between language development and the other developments of the child (social, cognitive, and perceptual). This collection of readings links the…

This exploratory study was conducted to interpret age and individual differences in 48 kindergarteners' and second graders' performance on a referential communication task in light of the Pascual-Leone Theory of Constructive Operations, a neo-Piagetian theory of cognitive development. Stimulus materials were black and white photographs of dogs,…

This study investigated (1) the amount of time mothers spend with preschoolers in specific activities related to cognitive development and the level of intensity of contact shared between mother and child during these activities; (2) sociodemographic variables which influence mothers' time spent with children; and (3) relations between mothers'…

This research deals with the development and relative importance of both the conceptual-cognitive and the aesthetic-affective aspect of the perceptual process at various age levels of children. Three tasks were chosen: (1) sorting drawings of human figures--a task that represents a more conceptual function; (2) expressing preferences for those…

A distinction can be made between the term "creativity" and creative thinking skills. Creativity typically refers to a talent for original and masterful production in the arts and sciences, and there is scant evidence that teachers have any influence on creativity of this kind. Creative thinking refers to a group of six thinking skills that if…

In order to provide an estimate of encoding within the active mode and a comparison between three modes of representation (enactive, imagery, and verbal), 36 second grade children from the high socioeconomic community of Beverly Hills, California, were presented with object pairs under one of three conditions (haptic-object versus visual-object…

A brief overview is presented of the effect of television viewing on the cognitive and affective learning processes of young learners and on the growth of the social interaction skills of this same viewing audience. The main conclusions of the report are that (1) the effects of television viewing are complex and are both positive and negative; (2)…

An academic course in family life-sex education is described in the context of a unique treatment setting for those diagnosed as schizophrenic. Asserts that this population is intellectually and academically able to profit from a cognitive experience. The course also offers positive value as an adjunct therapeutic modality. (Author)

Written from a developmental interactionist viewpoint, this guide for teachers provides practical and useful ideas for working with infants through 9-year-olds. (Developmental interactionists contend that activities designed to foster one area of a child's development will tend to foster development in other areas as well.) Section I of the guide…

This issue of Investigations in Science Education contains articles about attitude research in science education. It contains the critiques of nine articles about attitude research as well as three responses to critiques. One response relates to a critique published in an earlier issue while the other two responses are paired with the critiques…

While the play of young children has been recognized as a facilitator and a manifestation of cognitive change from egocentric to de-centered interpretations of reality, play activities for the young, profoundly deaf child have been viewed as a frivolity with little educational merit. Empirical evidence suggests that the play of deaf children…

Presented is a discussion of the nature of individual differences in the learning of mathematics, which leads to a review of field-dependent and field-independent cognitive styles. Field-dependence-independence is noted as an important variable in school learning and a study is cited that investigated the relationship between pupil success at…

This paper discusses research findings concerned with the reemergent recognition of the role of the father in early childrearing, the attitudes these fathers have towards their parenting role, and the identifiable impact they have on their progeny. Following a brief review of the literature on (1) how the American culture prepares boys for…

Classificatory behavior of 41 fourth graders enrolled in a science program at the National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C. was assessed on an instrument adapted from Piaget's interviews with children on class inclusion. Developmental levels were related to student performance in the program. Data analysis shows that students with a high…

Midlife crises require different behavioral responses for women who have made decisions about marriage, motherhood, and career. For women experiencing midlife crises, assertiveness training has the potential to resolve conflicts. Assertiveness training (AT) consists of three components, i.e., skills training, anxiety reduction, and cognitive…