Developmental psychology focuses on how psychological constructs change with age. In cognitive development research, however, the specifics of this emergence is often underspecified. Researchers often provisionally assume linear growth by including chronological age as a predictor in regression models. In this work, we aim to evaluate this…

Embodied cognition--the idea that mental states and processes should be understood in relation to one's bodily constitution and interactions with the world--remains a controversial topic within cognitive science. Recently, however, increasing interest in predictive processing theories among proponents and critics of embodiment alike has raised…

The increasing number of Emergent Bilingual students (EBs) in US schools has created the need for teacher preparation programs that foster a deeper understanding of findings from cognitive science that inform best instructional practices. Although much has been said about EBs as needing to "bridge the gap" on their reading achievement in…

Rapidly evolving technological markets in the so-called knowledge economy have resulted in increased pressure on postgraduate (PG) engineering cohorts to produce research outputs that meet the disparate requirements of both Higher Education (HE) and the knowledge economy. The latter expects a product that is not always explicitly linked to the…

Need for cognition is conceptualized as an individual's intrinsic motivation to engage in and enjoy effortful cognitive activities. Over the past three decades, there has been increasing interest in how need for cognition impacts and correlates with learning performance. This meta-analysis summarized 136 independent effect sizes (N = 53,258) for…

Evaluating evidence and restructuring beliefs based on anomalous evidence are fundamental aspects of scientific reasoning. These skills can be challenging for both children and adults, especially in domains where they possess inaccurate prior beliefs that can interfere with the acquisition of correct scientific information (e.g., heavier objects…

Early experiences in STEM education can contribute to positive cognitive development in young children. When students have the opportunities to play, inquire, follow their interests/curiosities, develop STEM identities, be creative, and operate within concrete/contextualized STEM explorations, they will experience expansive cognitive growth.…

Children are limited in visual search accuracy and this ability increases from childhood to adolescence. Developmental limitations in visual search could be related to children's difficulties in efficiently planning and executing their search, often assessed with cancellation tasks. However, few studies have examined age-related changes in visual…

In many cultural contexts, judging another as conscious or not has profound practical, legal, and philosophical consequences. However, little research focuses on how our ability to make such judgements arises. Thirty years ago a classic set of studies by Flavell et al. demonstrated that children do not develop a complex understanding of conscious…

In an increasingly complex world, the development of logical reasoning skills is vital for students of all ages. This study investigates the impact of the Logical Intelligence Enhancement Program (LIEP) on the logical reasoning skills of a large sample of primary school students aged between eight and eleven. The research encompasses 54 classes…

Individual differences in cognitive abilities emerge early during development, and children with poorer cognition are at increased risk for adverse outcomes as they enter adolescence. Caregiving plays an important role in supporting cognitive development, yet it remains unclear how specific types of caregiving behaviors may shape cognition,…

The following article is a thorough literature review, discussing the impact of media technology on brain development in the context of magical thinking. This systematic literature review discusses the impact of video gaming on magical thinking in early childhood. The purpose of this paper is to shed light on how media technology, especially video…

The aim of the study is to evaluate the efficiency of using the neuropsychological approach to solve the learning difficulties of schoolchildren. An empirical study summarized the evaluation of the correction program carried out using neuropsychological games and exercises with one hundred students in the second grade of the elementary school. The…

In recent years awareness of the importance of executive function (EF) skills for students' academic growth has increased. Research suggests that experience in school promotes EF development; however, recommendations regarding evidence-based practices that educators can use to support EF in their classrooms are limited. Here we outline two main…

In some contexts (e.g., legal and medical), it is imperative that children indicate when they do not understand an adult's question. Yet, little research has examined children's clarification requests. We asked 122 4- to 9-year-olds tricky and simple interview questions to assess how often and how children request clarification in interviews, the…