Reviews four books: (1) "A Dynamic Systems Approach to Development: Applications" (Linda B. Smith and Esther Thelen, Eds.); (2) "The Psychology of Gender" (Anne E. Beall and Robert J. Sternberg, Eds.); (3) "Children's Understanding: The Development of Mental Models" (Graeme S. Halford); and (4) "Adolescent Storm…

Reviews research available on the development and evaluation of social competence of young children, focusing on children age one through six years. Finds no universally accepted definition of social competence, and notes that social competence is a complex construct involving interrelationships of cognitive, social, and biological factors. (MM)

Examined early adolescents' self-esteem and perceived competence in the cognitive, social, and physical domains. Self-esteem, perceived social and physical competence, and cognitive competence were either stable or increased for most children. Concluded that early adolescents' perceptions of self-esteem and competence are not adversely affected by…

Examination of the school records of 41 children (ages 3 to 18) identified as having higher functioning autistic disorder (H-F AD) indicated that subjects' characteristics (including cognitive, language, social, developmental, and medical) were as similar to those of children with learning disabilities as they were to other children diagnosed as…

Tested a normally developing child several times between 16 and 27 months of age for his ability to derive the relations between stimuli. Found that the child derived "mutual entailment" relations and showed "nonverbal exclusion" as early as 17 months. "Combinatorial entailment" relations and "verbal…

Presents Jean Piaget's theory of genetic recognition, one of the first constructivist learning theories. Examines critically the relationship of the theory to present-day teaching and learning research, pedagogical practice, and other forms of constructivism. Asserts that one practical application of Piaget's learning theory would be to teach by…

Examines three alternatives to the classical framework of early cognitive development: modularity-nativism, connectionism, and theory-theory. Arguments are marshaled to support the "theory-theory" view, which emphasizes a combination of innate structure and qualitative reorganization in children's thought based on input from the people and things…

This review of Prader-Willi Syndrome notes characteristics (mental retardation and excessive overeating). Educational interventions including weight management, cognitive and educational development, behavioral interventions, and transition to adulthood are discussed. (DB)

A study explored emerging, persistent cognitive style in four gifted preschoolers to investigate how gifted potential may be transformed or obscured as abilities are applied to tasks. Remarkable style consistencies among the screening analysis, summer program behaviors, and later reports of cognitive ability and styles in kindergarten and first…

Documents and argues the need to move beyond linear conceptions of development in art. Proposes an art education that explores multiple pictorial repertoires, including those that rely on cooperation of multiple modalities of expression, and allows students to construct meaning through connections across symbol systems. (DSK)

Describes in operational terms the benefits of Montessori's developmental perspective for children from birth to 3 years, and from 3 to 6 years. Identifies optimal outcomes for social, moral, cognitive, and emotional development to be used in educational and psychological research and for child assessment. (KB)

Observations of 22 preschool children with cognitive delays during home-based play, made approximately 13 months apart, found no statistically significant change for the proportion of time spent in various categorical play behaviors. Children's relative ranking on play sophistication also remained stable. Significant changes were found in…

Introduces the concepts of online and offline sampling and highlights the role of online sampling in agent-based models of learning and development. Compares the strengths of each approach for modeling particular developmental phenomena and research questions. Describes a recent agent-based model of infant causal perception. Discusses limitations…

Explores children's play as social behavior in relation to cognitive style and identifies the social factors underlying both young children's play and cognitive style. Indicates that field-dependent children participated more in social play activities, while field-independent children engaged in more nonsocial play activities. Discusses the…

Explores pediatric and child psychiatric research covering five areas of potential biological and social risk to infants and children in orphanage care, specifically, infectious morbidity, nutrition, growth, cognitive and socioaffective development, and physical and sexual abuse. Results showed that institutionalization in early childhood…