In this longitudinal study of African American and Caucasian students from 18 4-year institutions, objective tests were used to estimate the cognitive effects of race in college, while applying statistical controls for an extensive set of confounding influences. Found that Caucasian students scored higher than African Americans on standardized…

Four studies explored children's beliefs about the stability of positive traits among three groups. Findings indicated that younger children were more likely than older children or adults to believe that negative physical and psychological traits would change positively, that they could control the expression of a trait, and that extreme positive…

Investigates whether introductory college chemistry students today differ from those a generation ago in terms of Piagetian cognitive functioning, aptitude, and achievement, and whether the gender differences in Piagetian cognitive development functioning found in 1981 are still evident today. Suggests that today's students are different in a…

Explores secondary school, undergraduate, and graduate level learners' mental models of bonding with ionic substances through an interview protocol involving the use of physical substances and a focus card containing depictions of ionic bonding and structure. Suggests that teachers and university faculty need to provide stronger links between the…

The complex relationship between cognitive developmental research and children's science curricula is explored, focusing on the tendency to attribute shortcomings in performance to the child's age, the confounding of weak knowledge with developmentally based deficiency, and emphasis of stage-based constraints on children's thinking. (SLD)

A study of 86 children (ages 5-16) investigated the relationship between age, IQ, and preferences for novelty. Children with higher IQs spent significantly more time responding to novel items than lower-IQ children. Older children with high IQs showed the most interest in novel items. (CR)

Explored whether a system between written place-value system and base-10 manipulatives helped children understand place-value. Found evidence that the intermediate system helped children differentiate between face values and complete values of digits in multidigit place-value number representations, and to grasp that the sum of the digits'…

Examines Piaget's and Vygotsky's conception of the relation of the social to the individual, including individualism versus holism, Piaget's alternative of relationalism, and Vygotsky's views of the nature of the social. Suggests that Piaget's denial and Vygotsky's advocacy of explanatory emergence leads to the question of domain-general versus…

Effects of type of prompt on the use of external strategies were examined with 272 children (ages 7-17) with or without mental retardation. A task requiring memory for object placement was performed under one of four conditions: no prompt, verbal prompt, physical prompt, verbal and physical prompt. Results suggested that strategy use by older…

Examined cognitive profile and multiple-deficit hypothesis in Chinese developmental dyslexia. Compared 30 Chinese dyslexic children with average readers of the same chronological age (CA) and 30 average readers at the same reading level (RL) in several rapid naming, visual, phonological, and orthographic tasks. Found that dyslexic children…

The use of rules on nonverbal balance scale problems was studied among 5- to 19-year-olds. Latent class analyses indicated that children used rules, that different rules were used by children of different ages, and that both consistent and inconsistent rule use occurred. A model for the development of reasoning about the balance scale task was…

Describes a laboratory activity on invasion biology to improve students' cognitive skills as well as manual skills. Requires students to develop hypotheses in which a common invasive species will succeed. Focuses on the red imported fire ant in the Southeastern United States, which is a non-native invasive species. (Contains 17 references.) (YDS)

Provides an analysis of reading and content area subject improvement through music instruction and examines the issue of teaching music in today's schools. Argues numerous benefits and advantages derive from music instruction. Discusses the use of music to increase cognitive development. Examines the benefits of music in curriculum areas such as…

Describes a study conducted at Gallaudet University to assess the need for programs to improve the cognitive skills of hearing-impaired college students. Indicates that 91 students who received systematic cognitive instruction had better logical reasoning, reading comprehension, and math scores than students who did not receive this instruction.…

This discussion of the limits of creativity education defines the concept of "limit," explores the limits of intellectual abilities, outlines efforts used by psychologists and psychiatrists to improve mental performance, and notes the importance of extending creativity through the life span. (JDD)