A longitudinal study of mental development during the first 6 years of life was conducted to determine whether different social and biological variables were related to mental development at different ages. A total of 218 children having complete neonatal records of 12 biological variables were studied at 6-month intervals until the children were…

The study compared differences and similarities between WISC and WISC-R scores for 48 ten- and thirteen-year-old educable mentally retarded students, who were matched according to sex and race. Results suggest that many children classified as "Borderline" or slightly above the WISC will be classified as "Mentally Deficient" by…

Stresses the importance of learner involvement, and adult patience and understanding, for a child's success in learning and consequently in living. (EB)

Contains a discussion of: comparison of the concept of political literacy developed by Crick and Lister, role of a psychology of political education, outline and comparison of cognitive developmental approaches, and implications for political education and research suggestions. (ND)

The inclusion of group activities based on theories of cognitive development within day care settings is urged. Several examples of classroom-tested activities are included. (ED)

Through this feature the Journal seeks to provide brief accounts of significant current innovation and research in Australia. Topics covered included administration, curriculum and objectives, teaching and learning, measurement and research methodology, student development and personnel services, social context of education, and history.…

Describes a study that indicates children originating from families in which low intelligence, poor school achievement and social inadequacy are prevalent, tend to follow the same pattern. Indicates that direct changes in life circumstances in the formative years can have an effect on subsequent achievements of the child. (GS)

High school students in South Australia were administered in group fashion the pendulum and the chemical color change developmental tasks. The major conclusion of this study is the fact that it is possible to translate into group form, administer, and assess rapidly and with considerable reliability Piagetian problem indicators of developmental…

Arguing that the teaching of stochastic processes should reflect the experience and reality of the student, the author urges concentration on fundamental ideas. The development of intuition should be encouraged, and to this end continuity in teaching and a spiralled curriculum are important. (SD)

Mathematical concepts and experiences are recalled and organized in a flow chart format. The power of unifying ideas in mathematics often causes this sequence to be forgotten or assigned less importance than it should be. (SD)

Deaf children's thought processes are analyzed in regard to J. Piaget's theory of cognitive development. (Author)

Compares traditional and changing Mexican communities by assessing cognitive styles in school children (using the Portable Rod and Frame Test) and attitudes of their mothers regarding socialization by means of interviews and questionnaires, to determine differences in field dependent cognitive styles and "socialization" clusters. (ED)

Examines experimental studies in which learning procedures such as reinforcement, direct instruction, and modeling are applied in an attempt to alter characteristics of children's information processing behaviors. Discusses whether the studies have demonstrated acquisition of generalized cognitive functions or merely elicitation of task specific…

Three child development specialists give their views on the major value-attributes that need to be nurtured in children to produce adults who continue to exhibit curious minds; and recommend books for teachers concerned about encouraging curiosity in children. (ED)