Examined expressions of spatial knowledge of first-, fourth-, and sixth-grade children who performed model construction, verbal description, and route reversal tasks after mastering a pedestrian maze. Age-related differences were found in rate of learning the maze, and equivalent abilities in sequencing intersections and route reversal. (SAK)

The possibility that four famous men--Thomas Alva Edison, Woodrow Wilson, Hans Christian Andersen, and Leonardo da Vinci--might have been reading disabled is considered by examining information concerning: (1) biographical records, (2) cognitive characteristics, (3) neuropsychological characteristics, and (4) biological characteristics. (Author/DB)

Investigated the effects of biomedical and social-environmental conditions on cognitive and language development in children toddlers. Hypothesized a strong effect of biomedical factors in first two years and a strong environmental influence at three years. Used analysis approach to estimate variables assumed to underlie measurement data. Results…

Major events in the maturation of the central nervous system (CNS) are reviewed relative to milestones for communication, speech, language, and cognition. Early insults to the CNS and their neuropsychological consequences are discussed. The role of patterns of myelination and dendritic branching to evolving stages of language and cognition are…

Presents a theory of the development of algebraic abstraction that extends Sfard's and Mason's ideas on learners' progress from operational or process-oriented thinking to the abstract or structural perspective. Analyzes secondary school students' approaches to classifying a set of complex equations. (Author/MKR)

Describes a method of teaching the order of mathematical operations based upon the psychological theory of conceptual generalization. (MDH)

Investigated whether skills and knowledge might be transferred between hypermedia systems as is the case with conventional paper-based materials. Performances of students using a familiar hypermedia system and a relatively unknown system were compared. Results revealed no significant differences achieved in either levels of success or efficiency…

Seventeen children (ages 5-7) with specific language impairment (SLI) were compared to age-matched (AM) and language-matched (LM) groups on measures of metalinguistic skill. SLI children's performance was worse than AM peers and indistinguishable from younger LM children, suggesting that morphological awareness is more closely allied to oral…

This article suggests that recent developments in cognitive science offer legal scholars the means to better understand the range of knowledge and practice of lawyers, including such issues as judgment, wisdom, expertise, and relationship of theory to practice in law. A broader view of the role of theory in lawyering practice is proposed;…

Responds to calls for combining the ideas of Piaget and Vygotsky, discussing differences between the two perspectives. Notes that differences are found in underlying assumptions about the nature and process of development, philosophy, stages of development, developmental influences, and the integrity of cognitive structures. Suggests that, given…

Addresses the extent to which differences in Piagetian and Vygotskyan psychologies make their theories incompatible. Differences result from a Vygotskyan belief in a material primary cause for development; Piagetians do not hold this view. Explores this difference in perspective, concluding that, despite it, the two approaches are compatible. (JW)

A computer microworld called Triple Representation Model uses graphical, tabular, and algebraic representations to influence conceptions of function. A majority of students were able to cope with partial data, recognize invariants while coordinating actions among representations, and recognize invariants while creating and comparing different…

Classroom discourse can nurture students' appreciation of mathematics as a community activity by involving students in defining the curriculum, engaging in authentic mathematical inquiry, and using the history of mathematics to understand how mathematical thought develops in society. (MKR)

Used a microgenetic method to examine knowledge acquisition as a process by coordinating existing theories with new evidence. Subjects were 17 community college students (ages 22-47) and 15 fourth graders. Assessed knowledge acquisition in problem solving in both physical and social domains. Found multiple strategies for, and varying levels of,…

Three experiments (sorting and theory-of-mind tasks) examined whether, for preschoolers, a particular form of reasoning applied to theory-of-mind and a set of problems requires understanding of mental states. Found that advances in theory of mind, card sorting, and causality depend on ability to switch judgments across conditions; reasoning by…