Developmental patterns in one mode of formal reasoning (probabilistic reasoning) were examined in this research study, specifically: (1) to determine if developmental patterns of probabilistic reasoning could be confirmed using a large, diverse sample of subjects, and if they could be similar despite variations in the complexity of the reasoning…

The Pennsylvania Preschool Inventory (PPI) was developed as a straight-forward and efficient measure of the relative cognitive development of the young child, offering an alternative to more complicated, elaborate assessment instruments. Results of the inventory are potentially relevant to both current and future school success of children between…

Presented are new principles and methods in the instruction of mathematics, with the primary focus at the elementary school level. The first half has the following sections: (1) The Influence of Environment on Child Behavior; (2) Pre-Mathematics; (3) The General and the Abstract; (4) The Passage from Pre-Math to Mathematics; (5) Building a…

Research indicates that the brain grows in spurts occurring every two years or so and alternating with plateau periods in which the gains due to growth are consolidated. While the number of brain cells no longer increases after the age of about 18 months, substantial increases in the complexity of neural networks occur generally between the ages…

This paper reports on two aspects of dyadic communication skills: verbal imitation, and response to questions and commands, as they relate to the development of semantic functions in three English-speaking children. The children, aged 16, 21 and 22 months, were unobtrusively videotaped during weekly free play sessions with their mothers. The…

Two major strategies for linguistically encoding an idea or proposition are suggested. The first strategy involves encoding an idea in the space of a single utterance, while the second strategy conveys the proposition through a sequence of two or more utterances. The tendency has been to focus on discourse as a composite of sentences (the first…

This paper reports on a longitudinal study of the acquisition of the voicing contrast in American-English work-initial stop consonants, as revealed through instrumental analysis of voice onset time characteristics. Four monolingual children were recorded at approximately two week intervals, beginning when the children were about 1;6. Data provide…

The acquisition of rules for formulating causative verbs was studied with children over a period of a few years. Most of the data is based on the spontaneous speech of the author's two daughters, from age 2;6 to 6;2 and from age 2;4 to 3;11. It was hypothesized that there are at least two prerequisites for the child's formulation of a general rule…

This annotated bibliography on Individually Guided Education (IGE) is intended to help teachers and administrators identify resources needed to improve individualized instruction and learning in elementary and secondary schools. Almost 100 books, technical reports, theoretical papers, practical papers, and working papers are listed in eight…

This study evaluates the Unified Sciences and Mathematics for Elementary School (USMES) curriculum developed by the Education Development Center in Massachusetts. Effects of using USMES materials on students' economic understanding, attitudes, and problem-solving ability were explored. The research also examined the simultaneous relationship…

The literature of reading theory and research suggests a number of key factors involved in the comprehension process. In simplest terms, comprehension is the process by which an individual actively generates meaning from some linguistic input. Five factors of reading comprehension have been identified through research: vocabulary knowledge, the…

The text reviews characteristics of gifted students and educational approaches for gifted and talented students. A definition of giftedness is presented in the first chapter. The development of giftedness is traced in the next two chapters (sample subtopics in parentheses): becoming gifted (prenatal and perinatal influences and intellectual…

This longitudinal study examined the relationship of the physical-neurological conditions of infants at one minute after birth to mental and motor development at prekindergarten and kindergarten levels. Subjects were 44 children, 16 males and 28 females, born in 1970 in the same hospital. Neonatal physical status one minute after birth was…

This paper examines issues related to the role of preschool education in Norway. Two dominant philosophies of preschool education are identified, the first emphasizing the importance of play opportunities and the social environment of the preschool, and the second focusing on the importance of adequate pedagogical programs for optimum cognitive…

This instructor's guide for a foster parent curriculum consists of specific curriculum material for the study of the social and psychological development of toddlers, ages 1 and 2. The guide is divided into 5 parts: (1) a developmental guide of normal toddler behaviors and appropriate adult responses; (2) an outline of desired foster parent…