This study sought to explore the possible relationship between parental style of psychological defense and children's social competence in 50 families in which one parent had been hospitalized for a psychiatric disorder. The children sampled were nine 4-year-olds, eleven 7-year-olds and thirty 10-year-olds. Based upon a formal analysis of the…

Every speech community has a baby talk register (BT) of phonological, grammatical, and lexical features regarded as primarily appropriate for addressing young children and also for other displaced or extended uses. Much BT is analyzable as derived from normal adult speech (AS) by such simplifying processes as reduction, substitution, assimilation,…

This instructor's guide for a foster parent curriculum consists of specific curriculum material for the study of the social and psychological development of children aged 6 to 12. The guide is divided into 5 parts: (1) a developmental guide of normal child behavior and appropriate adult responses; (2) an outline for instruction which lists desired…

This study investigated the relationship between children's ability to conserve on Piagetian tasks and six measures of the openness of classrooms which comprise the Dimensions of Schooling Questionnaire (DISC): (1) individualization of instruction; (2) student independence; (3) environmental flexibility; (4) nongradedness; (5) flexibility of…

To promote the deinstitutionalization of mentally retarded individuals, a three-phase assessment prescription system has been developed. It conceptualizes return to the community as a series of transfers from a restrictive non-programmatic environment (phase one) through specialized short-term program-oriented rehabilitation (phase 2) to the least…

A discussion of word acquisition rates and strategies is based upon a 6-month case study of an Estonian-speaking child who gradually and systematically relaxed phonotactic constraints to allow greater complexity in word production. In addition to the cognitive tools of assimilation and accomodation as described by Piaget, the child used a further…

The application of a scientific attitude to the field of education is reviewed, with particular regard to the varying perspective concerning the cognitive development and learning processes of children. Flaws in the "top-down" system of research and information dissemination, in which universities are viewed as "producers" and…

The report examines, from a cognitive developmental view, research on the teachable moment or critical learning period in handicapped infants. The author explains that developmental gaps are produced by a mismatch between the infant's readiness and opportunity to learn. Characteristics and educational implications of specific handicapping…

This publication, third in a biennial series of reports, focuses on the status of children, youth and families in 1979. Chapter I discusses historical and current demographic and economic trends that have occurred in the characteristics and circumstances of the United States population. Chapter II attempts to capture the factor of time in human…

This three-volume report deals with the hypothesis that males are more successful at solving mathematical and spatial problems than females. The general relationship between visual spatial abilities and mathematical problem-solving ability is also investigated. The research sample consisted of seventh graders. Each pupil took five spatial tests…

THE TRADITIONAL VIEW THAT A CHILD'S INTELLECTUAL ACHIEVEMENTS DEPEND PRIMARILY UPON GENETIC PREDISPOSITIONS IS NOW BEING SUPERSEDED BY THE IDEA, SUPPORTED BY MANY RECENT STUDIES, THAT THE FACTORS OF ENVIRONMENT AND EXPERIENCE PROFOUNDLY AFFECT PERFORMANCE ON MENTAL TASKS AND SUCCESS IN THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM. THE SOCIOECONOMIC LEVEL OF THE PUPIL…

TEACHERS INCREASE THEIR STUDENTS' DISCOURAGEMENT AND CONFUSION BY IGNORING THEIR PERSONAL GROWTH AND BY NOT RELATING SCHOOL SITUATIONS TO LIFE PROBLEMS. FOR SLOW LEARNERS, THIS MAY LEAD TO FAILURE, FRUSTRATION, AND BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS. IF THE TEACHER IS TO HELP SLOW LEARNERS, HE MUST BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY THEM, KNOW WHAT THEY EXPECT FROM EDUCATION,…

Papers presented at the 1980 National Conference on Reasoning, Piaget, and Higher Education are presented which address the implications of Piaget's research on the teaching of reasoning skills in higher education. Contents include the following: "Piaget: An Agenda, Not an Answer for the 80s," by Catherine M. Warrick; "Project…

The role of education is strongly determined by the perspective set by the political and social fabric of a given culture. Political and social upheaval, experimentation, and change accelerated at a tremendous pace during the 1960s and early 1970s. Consequently, great changes occurred in the structure of many school systems throughout the nation.…

This study examines the hypothesis that the lack of parental approval of the child characterizes child-abusing families. As part of a larger study of the coping styles of such families, a variety of verbal and non-verbal behaviors in parent-child interactions was examined. Subjects were 80 mother-child pairs from among four groups of comparable…