Argues that further progress in applied linguistics and second-language acquisition will be achieved through collaboration with researchers in other fields. Three examples of research problems are provided that would profit from collaboration with applied linguists: the definition of language proficiency, the neural basis of language functioning,…

This article discusses findings concerning the plasticity of auditory cortical processing mechanisms in adults, including the effects of restricted cochlear damage or behavioral training with acoustic stimuli on the frequency selectivity of auditory cortical neurons and evidence for analogous injury- and use-related plasticity in the adult human…

A bird study found that with sufficient time and training after hair cell and hearing loss and hair cell regeneration, the mature avian auditory system can accommodate input from a newly regenerated periphery sufficiently to allow for recognition of previously familiar vocalizations and the learning of new complex acoustic classifications.…

This article discusses psychobiological factors that affect recovery after traumatic brain injury in children and adolescents, including biological pathophysiology of the injury, the cognitive stage of the child at injury, the amount of time after injury, the challenge level of tasks, and the child's reserve of psychosocial resources. (Contains…

Examines whether crack-exposed children are necessarily doomed for failure and why specialized educational policies and programs are necessary. Reviews relevant research and explores implications of early-intervention and school-based programs. Punitive policies against crack users have displaced need for policy work in education. (Conatains 48…

Assessed 5-, 6-, 8- and 9-year-olds on two working memory tasks to explore the complementarity of working memory models postulated by Pascual-Leone and Baddeley. Pascual-Leone's theory offered a clear explanation of the results concerning central aspects of working memory. Baddeley's model provided a convincing account of findings regarding the…

Investigated the potentialities of teaching the concept of measuring surfaces to primary school children. Children tested in covering the surface of an object using socially significant materials (e.g., cardboard rectangles vs. car pictures and a drawing of a parking lot) were found to complete the task at ages younger than expected. (JPB)

Examined the role of the psychological process of comparison in young children's ability to extend a novel adjective to other objects sharing a salient property whether objects are of the same or different basic-level categories. Found that comparison operates in conjunction with naming to support extension of novel adjectives to properties of…

Tests of executive functions and control tasks not assessing executive function were administered to 19 individuals (ages 6-28) mild hyperphenylalaninemia (MHP) and 19 controls. Tests of academic skills and behavior-rating questionnaires were also administered to the group with MHP. No group differences were found for any measure. (Contains…

A review of current research on outcomes of children born premature and low birth weight provides a detailed summary of the long-term performance in the areas of cognition, motor, behavior, and language performance. Three tables provide comparative data for major studies concerned with developmental outcomes of pre-term children for cognition,…

Examined the effects of using structurally organized tile patterns or diverse objects in various patterns to represent numbers on kindergartners' learning of number concepts. Found that at the level of numerical operations, structured materials facilitate children's choice of non- finger strategies and speed up response time for finger-strategy…

Comparison of the comprehension of proverbs of 200 students (50 each in Grades 6, 8, 10, and 12) found growth in proverb comprehension was most pronounced at two transitional points in development: when students move from late childhood into early adolescence, and again when they move from late adolescence into adulthood. Implications for…

Describes higher levels of morality by contrasting Kohlber's Cognitive Developmentalism and Dabrowski's Positive Disintegration. It argues that far from being a gift, high-level morality is a function of the whole person. It is something chosen and striven for, and the result of compassion and some kind of disintegration. (Author/CR)

According to recent research studies, watching television has become the number one leisure activity among both children and adults. The effect of excessive television viewing on the cognitive development of children is reported. Solutions and suggestions for parents and teachers to help children integrate television into their lives in the most…

Examined preschoolers' inductive inferences across biological and non-biological kinds. Found support for gradual-enrichment model of conceptual change. Four-year-olds had a limited, coherent, independent biological theory which may form the basis of mature understanding of biological kinds. Explored results in terms of multiple explanatory…