Summarizes an intensive survey of current research undertaken in an attempt to identify cognitive factors related to discrepant achievement of economically deprived black and white rural first graders--i.e. students whose achievement was at a level unpredicted by diagnostic testing. (JM)

Children change their racial preference across the multiple requests made when traditional measures of racial preference are administered. Piaget views these changes as self-contradictory and due to cognitive incapacity. Data are, however, held to support the view that children intend to express a liking for dolls of both races. (RJ)

The research on cognitive style suggests that there is tremendous variability in the way in which individuals process information and hence in the manner in which they approach individualized instructional programs. (Author)

Importance of stimulating interest in a course rather than reliance on grades or course difficulty. (Editor)

The study was conducted to determine if the cognitive environment of the child from a high ability family could be classified as expansive or restrictive. It was concluded that mothers of gifted children have both styles available to them. The individual orientation of the high ability mother dictates the s tructure utilized. (CD)

Summarizes Piagetian developmental psychology, and describes a study in which trainee elementary school teachers administered Piagetian tasks to pupils. During this time the teachers were being instructed in the development of children's thought processes. Results support the continued use of the method. (AL)

Using a deep-level processing strategy, low test-anxious college students performed significantly better than high test-anxious students in learning a paired-associate word list. Using a superficial-level processing strategy resulted in no significant difference in performance. A cognitive-attentional theory and test anxiety mechanisms are…

Performance on Piagetian logical concept tasks, standardized intellectual measures, and measures of memory ability was assessed cross-sectionally. Factorial analyses revealed significant chronological age main effects for all tasks except transitivity of weight. Covariance analyses indicated educational level is generally more closely related to…

The cognitive theories of Beck and Ellis were used to identify cognitive phenomena thought to be related to social anxiety. Their constructs, risk appraisal and irrational beliefs, were operationalized for this study. Both discriminated between a clinical sample of anxious men and a group of competent daters. (Author)

The Peabody correlated significantly with the McCarthy General Cognitive Index, Verbal Scale, Perceptual Scale, and Memory Scale. A significant difference between the means of the two tests was found, with the Peabody yielding lower scores. (Author)

Suggests three procedures for assessing children's concepts of reading and their understanding of the special language that teachers use during reading instruction: shared book experience, checking the conceptual outcomes of shared book experience, and using a story chart and cloze procedure to extend the conceptual framework of reading language.…

Twenty-three high school biology students using the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) Blue Textbook were administered a weight conservation and two volume conservation tasks. A majority performed below formal-operational level, indicating that these students would be likely to encounter difficuluty with BSCS Blue Version materials. (MLH)