Piaget's theories of the structure of knowledge, constructivist learning, and stages of development in thinking have been a cornerstone of cognitive psychology and teacher education for half a century (Piaget, 1983). More recently, his ideas about stages of cognitive development have received criticism from many quarters (Weiten, 1992), including…

In this study we examined high frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV, a parasympathetic index) both at rest and during challenge, to assess if variations in cardiovascular activity measured during a Stroop task could be used to predict reading achievement in typically developing children. Reading achievement was examined using the Peabody…

In this "FastFacts," a state's Department of Education requests information from the Center on Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes (CEELO) on how the research defines skills in social-emotional development, approaches to learning, and executive function, to inform planned revisions to the early childhood indicators of progress for children…

Efforts to identify factors associated with peer acceptance have historically focused on behavioral and social cognitive processes, whereas less empirical attention has focused on the impact of children's other personal attributes and competencies that are not inherently a component of social competence. The current study examined the association…

For centuries, there has been a raging debate over the origin of knowledge and the nature of learning. This paper describes the essence of that debate as it relates to understanding the current disjunction between natural learning and academic learning. Natural learning represents the wealth of learning that occurs outside of school, especially…

Reviews cognitive processes, control mechanisms, and structures in creative thinking, and examines the way these aspects of cognition develop from childhood to adulthood. The cognitive definition of creativity, cognitive approaches to novelty production, creativity and cognitive development, and mechanisms guiding cognitive processes are explored.…

This paper discusses the kind of knowledge and strategies necessary to understand a metaphor. Studies of six year olds indicate that they fail to recognize that metaphors are intended nonliterally. At about the age of ten, children begin to give appropriate explanations. Children on the verge of metaphoric understanding of metaphors which link…

A survey of the literature on child cognitive development reveals that teachers do affect the cognitive functioning levels of their pupils in dramatic ways and that, while they should be storehouses of knowledge, teachers should also be consciously and effective able to direct students toward independent learning. (Author/MJB)

Three experiments involving balance scale problems were used to characterize and explain developmental differences in three domains of children's thinking: existing knowledge about the problems, ability to acquire new information about them, and process-level differences underlying developmental changes in the first two areas. (BW)

The instructional computer program LOGO enables children to construct their own programs. This article presents an evaluation of LOGO and use of computers in education. The author discusses reasons why computer science belongs in high school rather than elementary school. (DF)

This article responds to Sylvia Richardson (EC 602 667), noting a failure to address the definitional issues associated with dyslexia. A definition of dyslexia is offered that considers the nature of the processing limitation underlying the disorder as well as the developmental changes that occur in the manifestation of the disorder. (Author/DB)

A study explored children's notions of what stories and reports are, how they can be organized, and when to use them, as revealed in the stories and reports they wrote or recalled and in their responses to questions about each. Sixty-seven high achieving children in grades three, six, and nine read and wrote similar kinds of stories and reports.…

The conference from which the papers in this book are derived addressed the following questions: How is knowledge organized? How does knowledge develop? How is knowledge retrieved and used? What instructional techniques promise to facilitate the acquisition of new knowledge? Separate chapters address types of knowledge and purposes of education;…

In describing the basic philosophies of open education, this article discusses the close relationship between cognition and emotion in learning, the teacher's role in helping a child's thinking powers develop, and the role that environment plays in a child's emotional and intellectual development. (EB)