Twenty-seven suicidal, aggressive, or normal children (ages 10 to 12) were administered the subtest of similarities from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, a questionnaire to assess the concept of death, and a questionnaire to assess the concept of life. Results favor assumption that distortions in the death concept are specific and,…

Cognitive consequences of play and exploration were examined by assigning 36 economically disadvantaged preschoolers to one of three treatment conditions: sociodramatic play training, exploration training, and free-play control. (MP)

A comparative study of conservation development in partially sighted, sighted, and sighted blindfolded children at four age levels was assessed. Conservation on tasks of mass, weight, and volume were evaluated using Piaget and Inhelder's prediction, judgment, and explanation questions. The significant differences were found between groups, task,…

Tests the developmental memory lag hypothesis with 22 learning disabled boys on two- and three-dimensional nonverbal tasks. Finds age-equivalent recall patterns similar to those of normal children and consistent age-related differences in nonverbal recall, thereby negating the developmental lag hypothesis. (RL)

The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not children in grades two, four, and six make consistent use of Haviland and Clark's Given-New Strategy in visually and aurally comprehending presuppositive negatives. (HOD)

The article presents research reports on the nature of creativity, including such elements as its characteristics; the function of the affective gatekeeper (which filters the "reality" perceived by each individual); the constructs of perception; and the functions of role playing, altered states of consciousness, and fantasy. (PHR)

This article discusses a study designed to determine the order of acquisition of the two expressions "in front of" and "behind," using two featureless objects. (CFM)

Assesses how similar same-sex friends are in their level of moral development. Results indicate significant relationships only for male-female dyads. The functions of different dyadic friendships are discussed, including Piaget's and Kohlberg's ideas that peers have a role in promoting cognitive growth. (Author/BEF)

Introduces the use of word sorts as a way of helping children categorize words in helpful ways. (TJ)

Argues that a coherent program of moral education should be a part of the school's total effort to provide opportunities that foster the development of intelligent behavior and that the skills of critical reading may be used in this endeavor. (FL)

Presents a brief overview of research and developments in the study of formal operations thought since 1972 along with some speculations concerning future research directions. (Author/MP)

Discusses the question of whether mathematics is discovered or invented. An approach known as constructive mathematics and based on the belief that mathematics can have real meaning if its concepts can be constructed by the human mind is presented. (HM)

Generic competencies in physical education have been drawn up in Michigan based on student-oriented competencies rather than activity-oriented statements. The competencies are classified as psychomotor, affective, or cognitive. (JMF)

Experimenters analyzed a prose passage into 350 idea units, then interspersed throughout the text pictures depicting main ideas, or both main ideas and nonessential details. For fourth- and sixth-grade subjects, pictures did facilitate both immediate and delayed recall, but only of main ideas. (Author/JEG)