Human cognition research is shifting away from the importance of IQ and is emphasizing the stimulation and acceleration of a child's mental development. The emerging field of instructional psychology is trying to facilitate cognitive development. Current experimental programs--a university-school project in Belgium and a family project in…

Examined relationship between cognitive requirements of two chapters of a physics textbook for biology/pre-med students and their ability to use prerequisite reasoning skills required for its understanding. An average of 42 percent of students tested did not consistently use reasoning skills required to understand text concepts. Discusses tests…

The object of this study was to specify the relationship between logical and numerical structures by examining the processes used by operational and preoperational children in solving simple addition and subtraction problems. (MP)

Level of operational thinking required (cognitive demand) for concepts or problems and test items on the mole concept was determined and compared to the Piagetian levels of thinking of 71 students. Pupil cognitive level was positively associated with overall unit test scores and with percent success on all test items. (Author/SK)

Study investigated the relationship between children's (N=66) length conservation status and ability to acquire specific length measurement skills, and examined the interaction between mode of instruction (manipulative, graphic, and abstract) and conservation status. The expectation that length conservers would outperform nonconservers on…

Lists the questions about animals most asked by children within specific stages of cognitive development. Based on a research project on children's questions, this article suggests that an understanding of a child's questions can provide information on his psychological needs, interests, and level of cognitive development. (SA)

The shift in behavior therapy towards more cognitively oriented interventions in the treatment of behavior disorders in school children is reviewed. Recent applications of cognitive behavior modification have dealt with traditional academic concerns. (Author/MH)

Reports on the ability of preschool age children to interpret a black-and-white aerial photograph and to solve a simulated navigation problem on the photo. By placing the problem in a story context with personal reference points, the children were able to identify landscape features and solve simple problems. (MJP)

Challenges the assumptions concerning the necessity of feedback in children's cognitive development. Suggests that during a certain and limited phase, cognitive development may occur due to cognitive restructuring. Discusses the implications of this for educational programs, especially computer assisted learning. (MJP)

Examined the effects of print exposure on growth of declarative knowledge and vocabulary in 133 college students and 49 elderly adults. Compared groups on two general knowledge tasks, vocabulary, working memory, syllogistic reasoning, and print exposure. Found that exposure to print was a significant predictor of declarative and vocabulary…

Examined the extent to which maternal linguistic input enabled children to use syntactic bootstrapping. Studied uses of 25 common verbs in speech of 57 mothers to their 1-year olds and 2-year olds. Found that verbs can be used to create informative syntactic frames, syntactic frames can cue appropriate verb class, and multiple syntactic framing…

Reports misconceptions identified in students with respect to the topic of parallel lines and the teaching strategies found to be useful in challenging those misconceptions. (11 references) (MDH)

Offers LOGO as an environment that facilitates the development of cognitive strategies useful in problem solving. Presents LOGO activities requiring students to combine preprogramed procedures to produce worksheet patterns. Using this approach promotes using LOGO as a vehicle for problem solving and results in a more positive attitude toward LOGO.…

Traditional methods of teaching addition include algorithms that involve right-to-left procedures. This article describes efficient procedures for left-to-right addition and subtraction involving computation and computational estimation that reflect children's natural behaviors observed during activities with unifix cubes. (MDH)

Describes three activities that the teacher can employ to help students develop thinking skills through mathematics instruction: (1) memorization using the technique of chunking; (2) higher order thinking with magic squares; and (3) predicting games. Identifies eight facets of the teacher's role in promoting thinking skills. (MDH)