Reviews research on development of children's beliefs about intelligence; proposes that this development represents simultaneous processes of concept acquisition and theory building. Discusses research foci on children's definitions of intelligence, beliefs about the component structure of intelligence, criteria children use to evaluate ability,…

Children who left a gap between the sky and the horizon in their drawings and paintings were significantly younger than those who left no gap. Omission of the gap was associated with the use of devices to represent three-dimensional space in two dimensions. (RH)

In four tasks, 42 children between three and five years of age were asked to identify materials and familiar objects, and to predict which items would adhere to a magnet. No age differences were found in the ability to identify objects, but significant differences occurred in identification of materials and prediction of magnetic attraction. (RH)

Examined developmental differences in the acquisition and extension of an organizational strategy in 2 experiments involving 242 children in grades 3, 4, 5, and 7. Levels of performance were greater for sets of typical items than for sets of atypical items at all grade levels. (RJC)

The developmental change from global toward dimensional classifications, usually observed in vision, was investigated in haptics with stimuli varying according to their size and roughness. Results indicated that, although more overall similarity classifications were observed in children than in adults, this kind of classification was never…

In two studies, adolescents and adults planned a hypothetical party with and without planning aids. Found that adolescents made no more planning errors than working adults when they were given planning aids and that retired adults made more errors than working adults when planning with and without planning aids. (MM)

Reviews empirical studies of cognitive self-efficacy from childhood through old age, addressing issues of definition and measurement related to the self-efficacy construct. Integrates findings of research on self-efficacy and establishes generalizations regarding the relationship of self-efficacy to choice and goal-setting behaviors, a sense of…

Maintains that Madole and Oakes' hypotheses are incorrect. Shows that conceptual development frequently goes from the abstract to the concrete and that extensive literature shows that there is more than one kind of categorization. Discusses ways in which perceptual and conceptual categorization differ. (Author/KB)

Sociologists have long recognized the relationships between family background and social class attainment. However, by neglecting the multiple ways in which families and parents provide advantages and the extent to which these advantages extend into adulthood, they may still be underestimating the role of families in the reproduction of class…

This paper investigates the influence of popular/corporate culture texts and discourses on the subjectivities and everyday social experiences of young people, and the extent to which such influences are critically analysed in the English classroom. I present two levels of synthesised information using data analysis born of a mixed-methods…

Two experiments tested Hasher and Zacks' (1984) age-invariance hypothesis of frequency memory, which proposed that frequency memory is fully developed when a minimal level of physiological maturation is reached (by two or three years of age). Participating in the first experiment were 24 subjects at each of three ages: 8 years, 11 years, and young…

This document presents a comprehensive review of the literature on the psychological effects of divorce from the preschool years through adulthood. Topics discussed include the developmental perspective on divorce through various age groups; divorce as an event or process; and the role of the mental health professional. This review provides an…

Reports three studies that examined developmental changes in the integration of ability and effort information to predict performance. Children aged 6-11 years and adults were used as subjects. Findings involved developmental progression in the integration process, use of both cues in forming judgements, and the importance of effort. (Author/SDH)

A research questionnaire was distributed to assess how extensively aging is taught within the schools. It was more common in secondary schools. Respondents felt that it was a nontraditional topic, and that previous attempts to teach it were unsuccessful. The same percentage of respondents felt that the interest existed as did not. (LPG)

Developmental changes in conditions engendering pride and embarrassment were explored. Among other results, developmental change was found in the standards used to evaluate emotional experiences; references to social comparison increased with age and references to mastery decreased. (PCB)