Two implications of best-example theory for category acquisition were tested using a set of artificial concrete object categories. Categories acquired from initial exposure to good exemplars were learned more easily and accurately. People learn the best exemplars are category members before learning the poor exemplars are category members.…

Adapting curricula to the cognitive developmental level of students has been hindered by the difficulty of assessing those levels in students. The reliability and validity of a paper-and-pencil Piagetian assessment are discussed. (Author/ JKS)

Eight nursery staff were observed for four months and their behavior monitored on a time-sampling basis. Particular focus was put on behavior likely to foster cognitive growth in educationally disadvantaged preschoolers. Results are presented for staff activities. Discussion focuses on the optimal amount of "structure" in nursery…

A child is studied from the age of four, at which time there was no clear distinction between writer and audience, up to the age of eight, at which time he wrote a story demonstrating conclusively that he could stand apart from an egocentric view of the world. (JN)

Examines various kinds of linguistic and psychological information for their pertinence to the arrangement of grammatical information in teaching beginners in English as a Second Language. It is claimed that the psychological information on learning processes is as important as linguistic analysis of the target language. (Author/AMH)

The interpretations by first graders of mathematics illustrations designed to teach relationships between sets are reviewed. (MP)

Discusses the problems which arise as a result of the child's spontaneous activities changing into meaningful behavior. Emphasizes the child's need for guidance from knowledgeable adults and the need for completing activities to the child's satisfaction. (Author/DB)

The development of the concept of conservation was examined in 120 elementary school children divided into three groups: partially sighted, sighted, and sighted-blindfolded. (CM)

This article reports a study conducted with fourteen learning-disabled elementary students to determine the growth of achievement and conservation abilities after using the "Sink or Float" unit of the Elementary Science Study. (MK)

The paper presents a discussion of a theory of intelligence which postulates that intelligence develops rather than that intelligence is an innate ability possessed in full measure at birth. Discussion of unresolved issues surrounding their theory is presented. The effect of such a theory on science teaching is discussed. (RE)

A learning cycle approach to undergraduate instruction implemented in a variety of subjects at Metropolitan State College in Denver is described. An experimental group demonstrated significant gains in critical thinking and cognitive skill development as well as improved retention using a framework based on Piaget's stages of cognitive…

Discusses the learning cycle, a strategy developed by Karplus for incorporating Piaget's concepts into a pragmatic method for use in any classroom. The three facets to this strategy, exploration, invention, and application, are described. Includes an exercise that can be used for high school and college classrooms. (CS)

Discusses Personalized System of Instruction (PSI) and describes a Cognitive Skills-Oriented PSI (CPSI), an individualized instruction technique stressing the teaching of cognitive skills in conjunction with specific subject matter. Discusses learning theory, materials, communication strategies, and role of the teacher. (DR)

In order to determine whether mistakes committed by younger children are the result of retention mistakes rather than faulty perceptual encoding, twenty children (6, 8, 10, and 12 years old) reconstructed two visual patterns from immediate memory, while twenty other children (5 and 6 years old) reconstructed the identical patterns by direct…