In a comparison of cognitive processes and knowledge structures of expert and novice parents, interview data and verbal records were collected during two visits to five expert and seven novice mothers of infants. Results indicate clear differences between experts and novices in goals for the child, parent role, problem solving, and cue recognition…

This paper discusses two primary instructional goals of Feuerstein's instrumental enrichment approach to remedial educational interventions. The instrumental enrichment approach is a method of classroom intervention directed toward helping students acquire the logical and psychological prerequisites of independent formal thought. The first and…

This paper presents the rudiments of a constructivist conceptual framework which school psychologists can use to help parents develop positive parenting concepts. Problems arise if school psychologists rely solely on a mechanistic paradigm when they identify causes of unwanted behaviors and suggest specific remedial strategies. Operating within a…

Examined the relationship of maternal interaction and private speech to task performance, using a sample of four- and five-year-old children. Findings underscore the positive, self-regulatory function of private speech, highlight the role of adult communicative support in extending the child's competencies, and call attention to the cognitive and…

A technique for studying how parents think, make decisions, and solve childrearing problems, Computer-Presented Social Interactions (CPSI), is described. Two studies involving CPSI are presented. The first study concerns a common parental cognitive task: causal analysis of an undesired behavior. The task was to diagnose the cause of non-contingent…

This study examined the effects of interpersonal cognitive problem solving (ICPS) training for inner city mothers on the problem-solving skills and behaviors of their children. Twenty black mother-child pairs received training and 20 pairs matched in ICPS ability served as controls. The children were of comparable mean age (4.3 years), school…