Examined two- to four-year-olds' and adults' internalized representations of the sizes of buttons, plates, and shoes in five experiments. Results suggested that three- and four-year-olds had accurate knowledge of the typical sizes of buttons and plates. Two-year-olds demonstrated accurate internal representations of the sizes of shoes. (RJC)

Discusses two cognitive models that are appropriate for the study of language acquisition: the "holodynamic" model, and the "production systems" model. (CFM)

Three experiments using the familiarization-novelty preference procedure confirmed the hypothesis that three-month-old infants could form categorical representations of spatial relations above and below. The infants, after being shown a familiarization diagram with a dot appearing in multiple locations below a line, showed a preference for a novel…

Examines Vygotsky's notion of two main lines of psychosocial development--the natural and the cultural--in light of contemporary Marxist debates concerning the relationship between the "material" and the "social." Argues that an adequate account of Vygotsky's theory must ground the social construction of cognition in a…

Questions Moll's assumption, in this issue, of a parallel between processes in Vygotsky's natural line and the "material" processes in Marxist theories. Disputes Moll's characterization of the natural line providing a kind of constraining framework within which the cultural line can operate, suggesting that the two enter into a…

Examined young children's understanding of seed origins and growth preconditions and the stages of plant growth. Found that, by 4.5 years, children realized that natural causal mechanisms underlie plant growth and appreciated the relationship of seeds to plants. Results suggest that preschoolers hold theory-like understandings of plants similar to…

Four word-learning studies exposed 2-year olds to novel verbs and nouns. Found that knowledge of what action or object was impending was not necessary for learning the words; children learned a novel verb for an intentional but not an accidental action; and children learned a novel noun for an object being sought, but not ones rejected while…

Two groups of children were tested at ages five, six, and seven to determine metalinguistic knowledge of the syntactic subject of a sentence. Found that five-year olds had difficulty repeating the pronomial and longest subjects; ability to isolate pronouns improved with age; and ability to identify longest subjects improved with increased…

This introduction reviews recent trends in childhood memory research, focusing on closer relations between the study of memory development and the study of cognitive and neurological development, new relations between the study of memory development and the study of adult memory, and new relations between the study of memory development and…

Examined children's reasoning regarding the relation between mental representations and reality. Found that children perform better when reasoning about imagination in relation to reality than when reasoning about the relation between belief and reality. Results suggest that understanding that mental representations can differ from reality emerges…

Sixty young children were tested for their understanding that a person who is mentally focused on one thing devotes little or no simultaneous attention to another, totally irrelevant thing. Though most 6- and 8-year olds demonstrated an understanding that task-oriented thought and attention were selectively focused, most of the 4-year olds showed…

This paper explores how the science of interpretation (hermeneutics) may offer an approach to describing the nature of how one develops understanding during mathematical activity. The discussion centers on personal interpretation and its interactive relationship between mathematics and mathematical activity without focusing upon the distinction…

Discusses key elements of the cognitive-developmental perspective and the need to integrate it as an important component of the wellness model. Notes that each speaks to the personal empowerment of every person to live a rewarding and responsible life and that each also emphasizes the ongoing promotion of growth rather than secondary prevention or…

Highlights the findings of the study by Pollitt et al. in this monograph that nutritional supplementation has long-term consequences for cognitive development and that the relationship of nutrition to cognitive performance does not fit a main-effects model. Also reviews methodological and conceptual issues unresolved by the study; and discusses…

Responds to commentary on the Pollitt et al. study reported in this monograph. Posits that nutritional insults are sensitive to intervention. Discusses research methodology; methodological issues related to sex differences; the buffering influence of high SES and dietary supplementation against the adverse effects of poor diet and low SES,…