Examines influence of household income on cognitive stimulation during the transition to school. Cross-sectional and longitudinal fixed effects regressions are estimated to examine income's effect. Household income was positively related to level of cognitive stimulation in children's home environments across both sets of analyses. Implication for…

Investigated mechanisms underlying reductions in susceptibility to interference from irrelevant information that are evident in the developing child. Used two experiments requiring attention to one stimulus out of many. Found that age changes in selective attention are mediated to an important extent by changes in the speed and efficiency of…

A review of groundbreaking studies in child development by Piaget, Vygotsky, Baillargeon, Premack, and Woodruff suggests that the ideal learning environment would need to have developmentally appropriate and challenging activities; nurturing experts; plenty of social interaction; and opportunities for problem solving, thoughtful reflection, and…

A mail survey was used to investigate 5-year trends in Japanese mothers' reports of their 3-year-olds' cognitive, psychomotor, and social developmental attainment. Findings indicated significant decreases in all domains, not attributable to changes in family structure, although scores were higher among children in nuclear families than in extended…

Describes how infants and toddlers learn to use action, object, picture, and word symbols, and offers suggestions for educators and caregivers to facilitate symbol use. Discusses how adults can introduce books to young children and enhance the symbolic aspect of the care and education program. (KB)

Investigates the development of understanding of quantity in 36 children with Down's Syndrome. Findings confirmed similarities in sequence of development between Down's Syndrome children and nonretarded children. Down's children who received training recognized conservation of continuous and discontinuous quantity. (RJC)

Research indicates that early cognitive intervention typically yields short-term advantages for children and their parents. Long-term effects are not maintained unless: intervention sets off a chain of positive consequences, and the whole life span is taken into account. Long-term change efforts should incorporate familial and psychosocial…

Examines research on the importance of understanding children's biological timetables for mind and brain development, and forces that can threaten this neurodevelopmental timetable during critical periods. Discusses the brain's adaptability, and focuses on the importance of knowledge derived from the study of special populations for understanding…

It is demonstrated that the topics discussed in contemporary research in metacognition are integral parts of the theory of cognitive development of L. S. Vygotsky. Unique to Vygotsky's approach is a focus on the sign system of human language and the linguistic tools of thought and control. (SLD)

Notes that rough-and-tumble play must be considered in the context of social values; has beneficial influences on children's cognitive and social development; and is distinguishable from aggression. Makes a case for the use of socializing techniques in conjunction with rough and tumble play. (LB)

This longitudinal study examined the effects of nonparental care on the development of 47 children, birth through age 5. Found that children who had a nonparental care experience during infancy had a developmental quotient inferior to those who did not have such experience. Results suggest that quality of the child care setting is the determining…

For a sample of families consisting of a teen mother and her infant and parents, examined grandmothers' influence on their grandchild and grandparents' indirect effect on their grandchild through their influence on the teen mother's nurturance and perceptions of family support. Found that grandfathers had a direct effect on their grandchild, and…

Criticizes current prevention education efforts for retaining characteristics of older quantitative approaches to education. Suggests qualitative approach to prevention education be taken and discusses transactional model of substance abuse based on development of the child within both social and family context. Recommends approach that draws…

A model of the sources and consequences of mismatches between gestures and speech is presented that argues that the transitional knowledge state is the source of the mismatch and that such mismatches signal that a child is in a transitional state of concept acquisition and is ready to learn. (SLD)

Examines first graders' existing knowledge in relation to what they are expected to learn, by: (1) listing music vocabulary words appearing in music textbooks; (2) comparing oral vocabulary with vocabulary listed for music instruction; and (3) comparing frequency of selected music terms with frequency of same terms in general oral vocabulary. (DSK)