Discusses a study that shows that young children were not consistently able to find the main idea in nonverbal material. Suggests that children at grade three might effectively respond to instruction in finding the main idea and that children in grade five should have little difficulty with this task. (TJ)

In an attempt to assess the status of the object concept, visual fixation and cardiac deceleration were recorded for 36 infants, 20-24 weeks old, during three kinds of events in which objects moving on a linear trajectory were temporarily occluded by a screen: (1) a familiar object appeared on both sides of the screen; (2) a novel object appeared…

It is argued that the dialectical model of memory development seems more promising than behavoristic, information processing and contextual models. (MS)

A dialectical approach to memories and memory abilities requires attention to relations of reciprocal causality both between the individual and society and within the individual. The challenge of the dialectical approach is to persist in insisting on change. (MS)

Reports two studies which examine the cognitive demands of nominal realism tasks. Subjects were kindergartners, first graders and second graders. (Author/JMB)

An empirical test of alternative claims by Bryant and Piaget concerning the development of invariance of quantities in 3- and 4-year-old children was made. Results support the Piagetian thesis in showing that those subjects respond with stereotypic strategies rather than by an invariance of number principle. (Author/JMB)

Study examined Vygotskian hypotheses about functions of preschoolers' private speech: that it facilitates independent task performance and escorts task success. Analysis of task performance indicated that adult scaffolding led to more private speech; relevant private speech after scaffolding led to more success; and private speech was related to…

Examines the use of iconic representations in young children from a Vygotskian perspective. Uses analysis of children's drawings as basis for argument that iconic representations are narrative in nature: children supplement drawings with verbal symbols to ensure that intended meanings are clear and thereby learn to carry out semiotic activity and…

Examined reasoning about physics principles within and across ontological kinds among 5- and 7-year-olds and adults. Found that all age groups tended to appropriately generalize what they learned across ontological kinds. Children assumed that principles learned with reference to one ontological kind were more likely to apply within that kind than…

Two- to 4-year-olds were presented with pictures of a target item (for example, carrot), a thematic alternative (rabbit), and an taxonomic alternative (tomato). The target was identified and children were asked to choose one of the alternatives. Children revealed no preference for either alternative. (BC)

Suggests that, with the waning influence of Piaget and shortcomings of information-processing perspectives of cognitive growth, cognitive developmentalists lack a metatheory to guide their research. Posits developmental biology as metatheory for cognitive development. Introduces basic principles of evolutionary psychology, and examples of…

Young children and adults looked at 400 pictures of common objects and were asked to name the object, indicate their familiarity with the object, and state how complex the object would be to draw. Normative data indicated that children and adults differed in the most frequent name assigned and the number of alternative names used. (BC)

Considers how preceding articles by Jansen and van der Maas, and Halford et al., contribute to understanding of how rule use can be best assessed, how systematic rule use can be reconciled with variable rule use, when children begin to use rules, and how children generate new rules. Summarizes current understanding of development of knowledge…

Two experiments were conducted to test Chinese children's comprehension of count-and mass-classifiers. Participants were Chinese-speaking children ages 3 thru 8, plus 16 adults. Results cohere with the linguistic analysis that the count-mass distinction is relevant in Chinese grammar. Results also cohere with the current theory in cognitive…

Deals with the changes in imagination that take place from childhood to adulthood. (CB)