Ways in which teachers can help children in kindergarten and the primary grades develop some of the cognitive and affective capabilities necessary for a global perspective are discussed. Specifically examined are course content which fosters global knowledge and which shows how children can be taught to assume the perspective of others. (RM)

Research suggests children readily distinguish between moral wrongs and social norm violations. Moral concepts consistently focus on issues of justice and compassion regardless of religious belief. Moral education can be compatible with, and independent from, religious doctrine. Two principals for such education are suggested as useful for…

Examines the misconceptions of children as indicative of imaginative and perceptive thinking. Anecdotes that illustrate the split between realist and relationalist thinking, and the confusion between fact and metaphor are presented as citations from literary works. (BC)

The author reviews Seymour Papert's "Mindstorms: Children, Computers and Powerful Ideas," looking at implications for the field of education when the child is programer. Evaluation of the computer as an innovation is needed before either the reactionary pessimists or the enthusiastic advocates can rest on solid ground. (MT)

A test of the effect of bilingualism on cognitive performance involved 45 seven and eight-year-olds with mild mental retardation (low language proficiency, high language proficency, and monolingual English groups). Analysis of three Piagetian tasks and an information processing task indicated that high proficient bilingual Ss' performance was…

Descriptions of television's typical good and bad guys as seen by first, third, and fifth graders demonstrate that television offers a limited repertoire of good guy characteristics, and indicate important age related differences in judgments on television characters. Emphasizing relationships could provide more multidimensional information on…

Videotaped observations of the free-play interaction of mothers and (1) 12 physically handicapped, (2) 14 premature, and (3) 9 healthy 2-year-olds were evaluated. Results support clinical reports of maternal withdrawal from disabled young children. (Author/RH)

Examines the development of children's ability to differentiate among informational, instructional, and persuasive television messages. Found high comprehension of narrative content even by the youngest children, but correct perception of message intent occurred primarily among older children. (PD)

Describes a research paper assignment that asks students to come up with a question (problem) in some academic field that can be answered (solved) from synthesizing all of the information currently available. Argues that such an assignment teaches the research paper within a rhetorical context. (HOD)

Four studies are offered from a Piagetian perspective on providing children with an optimal microcomputer environment. Guidelines stress the importance of flexibility, and a hierarchical software environment. (CL)

College students were given two paper-and-pencil conditional reasoning tests, one week apart, in varying order. The three problems on each test were presented either verbally or with line drawings as concrete referents. Performance was significantly poorer on the problems with drawings. (MNS)

This article presents a new method of inferring students' cognitive structures and their development. A modification of Reitman and Rueter's "ordered tree technique," the method generates a structure that displays important relationships assumed to be in a student's memory about concepts taken from a specific field of study. (Author/LMO)

Explains why simulation is a particularly useful teaching device in areas in which it is important to tie together cognitive skills and motor skills into total performance. Discusses the many forms simulation can take in soft skills training and how simulations can shape perspectives. (CT)

Summarizes recent trends in French developmental psychology, including those regarding (1) cognitive development as it relates to Piaget's theory, (2) psycholinguistics in preschool children, (3) social interaction, and (4) the structuring of time and space by infants and toddlers. (Author/RH)

Discusses differences between authors' view of conversation and Ervin-Tripp's (included in this issue) on the similarities between adult and child conversation, planfulness in achieving topic coherence, the generalization of research results to other groups, and the socialization of conversational behavior. Also presents evidence supporting their…