Using recent research in linguistics and developmental psychology, this study suggests that English spelling can be taught systematically and that its mastery is central to literacy. Examines the levels at which spelling represents information about the English language and presents five stages of spelling knowledge through which achieving…

Examines kindergartners' and second graders' knowledge of concept attribute importance and the children's use of this knowledge to categorize. (HOD)

Describes four experiments that examined the ability of second- and fifth-grade children and college adults to use "extra-list" cues to retrieve episodic information from memory. Shows that effective cue use varied with both the "match" of cue and event classification, and with the associative structure of permanent memory.…

A longitudinal investigation on development of conservation skills in 31 learning disabled (LD) children suggested that delayed transition between preoperational and concrete operational thought may be an important factor in understanding the continued school failure of learning disabled children. (Author/CL)

Results of two experiments involving four severely handicapped preschoolers suggested that Ss could be taught rudimentary communication skills prior to the attainment of J. Piaget's sensorimotor stage 5. It was further suggested that establishment of initial labeling in an elicited training format will not necessarily generalize to either…

Assessed developmental trends in competency to stand trial in a study of incarcerated and nonincarcerated adolescents (N=52) and adults (N=19). Results indicated that competency to stand trial does increase through the adolescent years, but even older adolescents received lower scores on a competency measure than did adults. (JAC)

The intellectual development and behavior of U.S. citizen infants with undocumented alien parents were compared with infants of documented alien parents or Hispanic American parents. Demographic and environmental variables were equivalent for both groups. Infants of undocumented parents scored significantly lower on the Bayley mental and…

Reviews research on children's ability to remember events in relation to that of adults. Concludes that age interacts with other factors, including language and the relative development of knowledge structures, to determine suggestibility. Suggests that children's memories may at times be less easily influenced than adults' memories. (KH)

Describes the initial validation of a new instrument and comprehensive rating manual designed to enhance the accuracy of measurement of the Perry scheme. (Author)

Assessed the criterion validity of three cognitive development scales within the Personality Inventory for Children via correlations with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised in children (N=48). Results suggested that the Inventory has validity for the task of screening children's cognitive abilities. (Author/LLL)

Presents a "procedural view" of the learning mind, arguing against previous theories citing physical properties as its basis. A more process-oriented view of information processing is offered, which describes "mind" in terms of skill in manipulating symbols, and the notion of skills is shown to provide a useful framework for accounting for…

The authors' analyses of two studies show differences in students' values and learning preferences, as well as a relationship between psychosocial occupational therapists' level of education and the degree of eclecticism in their theoretical orientation, the degree of consistency between their practices and beliefs, and their movement from staff…

A program is described that is designed to improve the cognitive planning abilities and social skills of students nine to 16 years old with behavior problems. Students learn the cognitive planning sequence of stop, plan, do, and check. (CL)

Assessed Venezuelan college freshmen's (N=709) level of formal or concrete operations and its correlation with performance in various courses. Findings show 84 percent were concrete; achievement in chemistry had the highest correlation with formal operations, and decreasing correlations occurred with mathematics, biology, biology lab,…

Five measures of intellectual level (IQ, MA, teachers' estimates of intelligence, level of object permanence, and representation of causality) were correlated with effectance variables and with each other for 42 quadraplegics (one to 12 years). Results reveal some relationship between intellectual level and effectance, although cognitive ability…