From an early age, children show a keen interest in discovering the causal structure of the world around them. Given how fundamental causal information is to scientific inquiry and knowledge, this early emerging "causal stance" might be important in propelling the development of scientific literacy. However, currently little is known…

Novel causal systems pose a problem of variable choice: How can a reasoner decide which variable is causally relevant? Which variable in the system should a learner manipulate to try to produce a desired, yet unfamiliar, casual outcome? In much causal reasoning research, participants learn how a particular set of preselected variables produce a…

Direction dependence analysis (DDA) is a recently developed method that addresses the need for more sophisticated tools to evaluate causal mechanisms of developmental processes and interventions. The present study applied DDA to evaluate the hypothesized mediators of a classroom behavior management training program on student academic competence.…

Preschoolers, as a group, are highly attuned to causality, and this attunement is known to facilitate memory, learning, and problem solving. However, recent work reveals substantial individual variability in the strength of children's "causal stance," as demonstrated by their curiosity about and preference for new causal information. In…

Children are selective and flexible imitators. They combine their own prior experiences and the perceived causal efficacy of the model to determine whether and what to imitate. In Experiment 1, children were randomly assigned to have either a difficult or an easy experience achieving a goal. They then saw an adult use novel means to achieve the…

Matching methods such as nearest neighbor propensity score matching are increasingly popular techniques for controlling confounding in nonexperimental studies. However, simple k:1 matching methods, which select k well-matched comparison individuals for each treated individual, are sometimes criticized for being overly restrictive and discarding…

Describes a theory of cognition which posits specialized structural systems (SSSs) that enable individuals to represent and understand domains of knowledge. Three test batteries assessed 12-16 year olds' abilities to think combinatorially, form hypotheses, design experiments, and construct models or theories. Suggests that the results of tests…

Assessed 8- to 16-year-olds of 64 mothers with recurrent unipolar or bipolar affective disorders, chronic medical illness, or no disorder. Results supported a model in which children's outcomes 6 months later were caused by maternal functioning and characteristics of the child. (RH)

Two studies investigated 4- to 7-year-olds' understanding that trait can be causal mechanisms based on desires or mere summaries of behavioral regularities. Results suggested that children change from viewing traits as behavioral regularities to understanding them as internal mediators and that advances in understanding desire underlie this…

Used least squares analysis and simultaneous structural equation modeling to examine the bidirectional relationship between day-care teachers' lax, overreactive discipline and young children's behavior problems. Found that teachers' laxness strongly influenced child misbehavior and child misbehavior influenced teachers' overreactivity and laxness.…

Tested three competing structural equation models concerning auditory inspection time (AIT) and cognitive ability. Found that auditory inspection times near age 11 correlate most strongly with later high IQ. (ET)

Examined whether children's causality beliefs about school performance show similar developmental profiles across six distinct sociocultural settings. Found markedly similar developmental patterns in their beliefs about the importance of effort, ability, luck, teachers, and unknown factors as influences on school performance. Found that factors…

Two experiments used causal models to examine possible relationships among age, learning rates, learning opportunities and forgetting rates. Found that forgetting rates declined markedly between early and late childhood. (ET)

Data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care were examined to explore five propositions that would support a causal relationship between child care quality and child outcomes at age 4.5 years. Three propositions were supported, particularly in the cognitive domain. Associations between quality and outcomes remained even with child and family…