Argues that there is a strong nonrational component in conceptual change, analyzing aspects of the nonrational or aesthetic that are part of the conceptual change process. Shows that the results of Posner et. al. ("Science Education" 66: 211-27, 1982) support this thesis. (Author/JN)

Responds to comments by West and Pines ("Science Education" 67: 37-39, 1983) on rationality and learning. Discusses two views of learning, distinguishes between what learning depends on and what it is, and offers distinctions between rational and nonrational factors in learning. (Author/JN)

An examination of the Soviet psychologist, L. S. Vygotsky's theory shows close affinity with western developmental-type cognitive psychologies. (JC)

A theory is presented to explain the perception of partially occluded objects and illusory figures, from both static and kinematic information, in a unified framework. This detailed theory of unit formation accounts for most cases of boundary perception in the absence of local physical specification. (SLD)

Proposes a methodology called digraphing, which is useful in synthesizing various findings to develop meaningful categories of student conceptions. Describes how categories can be developed and discusses validity and reliability issues related to the digraphing methodology for synthesizing research studies. (Contains 57 references.) (Author/ASK)

Describes students' difficulties in learning the meaning of capacitance in a charged body by considering that individuals construct mental representations in order to help their understanding of the way a physical system works under varied circumstances. Asserts that a critical study of the history and epistemology of science is likely to…

Function has been considered important in numerous literatures in the study of cognitive development, yet little is known about what and how infants learn about function. Five experiments examined what 10-month-old infants (N=80) learn about functions that involve a sound produced when an object is acted on. Infants habituated to a single object…

Meaning is one of the recent terms which have gained great currency in mathematics education. It is generally used as a correlate of individuals' intentions and considered a central element in contemporary accounts of knowledge formation. One important question that arises in this context is the following: if, in one way or another, knowledge…

Background: Neuroscience is unlikely to produce findings for immediate application in the classroom. The educational significance and practical implications of knowledge about mind and brain inevitably require some level of interpretation, yet the multiplying examples of unscientific "brain-based" educational concepts suggest this process of…

This paper focuses on the changes in thinking involved in the transition from school mathematics to formal proof in pure mathematics at university. School mathematics is seen as a combination of visual representations, including geometry and graphs, together with symbolic calculations and manipulations. Pure mathematics in university shifts…

Children with mental retardation have pronounced difficulties in using cognitive strategies and comprehending abstract concepts--among them, the concept of sequential time (Van-Handel, Swaab, De-Vries, & Jongmans, 2007). The perception of sequential time is generally tested by using scenarios presenting a continuum of actions. The goal of this…

Generic sentences (such as "Birds lay eggs") are important in that they refer to kinds (e.g., birds as a group) rather than individuals (e.g., the birds in the henhouse). The present set of studies examined aspects of how generic nouns are understood by English speakers. Adults and children (4- and 5-year-olds) were presented with scenarios about…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine children's knowledge of semantic relations. Method: In Experiment 1, the 6-year-olds, 8-year-olds, and adults participated in an object decision task. Participants in the primed group made object decisions in response to primes that were related taxonomically, thematically, or perceptually to the…

One of the processes supposed to take place during development toward medical expertise is knowledge encapsulation. In this process detailed biomedical concepts are gradually clustered together and reorganized under fewer, clinically relevant terms. A large-scale investigation was made of the process of biomedical knowledge application using…

Article focused on ways in which anxiety influences behavior, particularly with respect to the influence of anxiety upon problem solving. (Author/RK)