To provide a context for a discussion of parental modernity and child development, this paper explores concepts of societal and individual modernity and examines historical evidence of increasing levels of intellectual competence and an active orientation in the conduct of life. Specific attention is given to sociological theories of Bell (1973)…

This paper reviews and comments on the ways that thought and feeling, cognition and affect, have been balanced in early childhood education at various periods in the last half century. The relationship between educators and psychologists is discussed, and a closer collaboration of the two encouraged. The cognitive-affective interaction view is…

TWO STUDIES DEAL WITH THE THOUGHT PROCESSES CHILDREN DISPLAY WHEN FACED WITH PROBLEMS INVOLVING THE CONCEPTS OF QUANTITY AND NUMBER. INVOLVING CHILDREN IN KINDERGARTEN, FIRST GRADE AND SECOND GRADE, THE STUDIES USE PIAGET'S THEORIES IN BOTH A CROSS-SECTIONAL AND A LONGITUDINAL APPROACH TO STUDY CHILDREN'S THINKING IN AN EDUCATIONAL SETTING. TO…

This study investigated the quantitative and qualitative differences in the responses of children aged four, six, and eight to four kinds of questions; cognitive memory, convergent, divergent, and evaluative. The subjects, 48 boys and girls, were from advantaged homes and had attended, or were attending, nursery school. Each subject was shown a…

Learning disability has become one of the most serious afflictions of childhood in the United States. Approximately 6 to 15 percent of American children have difficulty in learning how to read. In contrast, educators and other professionals in China and Japan report that dyslexia is rather rare in their countries except in cases where there is a…

TO IMPROVE THE DEVELOPMENTAL RATE OF CULTURALLY DEPRIVED CHILDREN, A PRESCHOOL PROGRAM WAS OFFERED WHICH CONSISTED OF A PLANNED SEQUENCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL STIMULATION BASED ON THE THEORY THAT COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT PROCEEDS THROUGH MOTOR-PERCEPTUAL-SYMBOLIC PHASES. SEVENTY-TWO DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN WERE DIVIDED INTO THREE MATCHED GROUPS. GROUP A…

It is generally conceded that there is much for a child to learn while attending nursery school, but the teacher is often unsure as to what type of curriculum or program will best assure such learning. Specifically, although play has been part of all nursery school programs, it is questioned whether spontaneous play (that is, relatively…

This book presents a theory of child development and learning and explores the implications of this theory for early childhood education. The theory is based on the Piagetian premise that the acquisition of knowledge is the result of an active process of construction. The child mentally transforms the environment by relating new information to…

Sex role development in children is based on the processes of social learning and cognitive development. According to social learning theory, the development and emergence of sex-typed behaviors and attitudes can be described by the same learning principles used to account for any other aspect of social behavior, generally principles related to…

Five aspects of the psychological assessment of children are considered. First, the hypotheses of assessment are examined, with attention to the role of the scientist-clinician, the nature and the social and personal determinants of development, and the ego as the object assessment. Second, methods of data collection are surveyed, including…

This volume is intended for use in college courses that combine educational psychology with child and adolescent psychology or human development. Section I, an introductory chapter presents selective groups of readings in the field of child developmental theory. Sections II through X each deal with one of the explanations of behavior that have…

This book is addressed primarily to those who facilitate early learning in art education. It consists of essays by writers whose background enables them to speak insightfully on their topic. Several essays are written by teachers of preprimary children. Others were written by research workers who have studied the art of young children. Articles…

This study examined variables related to problem-solving approaches of young children, using the theoretical framework provided by Zigler and his collaborators in their work on outerdirectedness. Four aspects of outerdirectedness were examined: developmental trends, effects of different types of reinforcement, effects of task difficulty, and pride…

The popular view among American psychologists has been that there is a continuity of psychological structure that is shaped by early experience. Data gathered in studies of Guatemalan villages imply serious discontinuities in the development of particular cognitive competencies and capacities for affect through preadolescence. The first two years…

A study is presented which concentrates on the development of a cognitive style assessment instrument for 3- to 8-year-olds and on a series of studies designed to evaluate the role of stylistic and attentional processes in the development of various competencies in young children. This report incorporates a manual for users, a technical report on…