Addresses the importance of client conceptualization skills in counseling as well as the limitations of child conceptualization skills in counseling. Provides a rough overview of the applicable points in Piaget's theory of cognitive development and a discussion of how these points relate to conceptualization skills in counseling. (RS)

Evaluation of social-cognitive skills in 23 young children with autism or other developmental delays found tests involving others' attention were more difficult for children with autism than tests involving others' behavior. However, the typical developmental pattern of first sharing, then following, and then directing attention or behavior was…

Three studies investigated 5- to 8-year-olds' ability to solve partitive division problems when presented with a concrete model of a problem. Children found it easier to solve problems in Grouping-by-Divisor condition than in Grouping-by-Quotient condition, although there was evidence of developmental improvement in tasks. Findings suggest that…

Suggests a model for the development of mental representation. Explores empiricist and constructivist models and maintains that the constructivist model provides a better ground for theory building. Evaluates Piaget's constructivist account of the emergence of mental representation. Proposes that his account is insufficient and suggests a…

Endorses concept mapping as the way to achieve the most meaningful learning. In concept mapping, concepts are organized according to their hierarchical relationships. Concept-mapping skills can help to organize and integrate information, assess existing knowledge, gain more insight into all knowledge, and relate basic science concepts to the…

Provides a rationale for the use of cognitive developmental theory as a framework for counselor education, discusses the implications for preparation programs, and suggests evaluation and research possibilities in this area. Discusses theory's theoretical background, reviews components of successful programs, and presents specific strategies. (EMK)

The First Lady calls for Americans to work together and give parents the tools they need to raise their children, and to make learning a lifelong journey. (HTH)

Studied the ideas of 5-year olds regarding the concept of light, using individual interviews. Found that children identify light with its source or its effect rather than as a distinct entity, a representation at odds with the scientific concept of light. (Author/JPB)

Two experiments examined the effects of a culture-general factor, pattern redundancy, on the discrimination of five-tone melodies that differed in their adherence to Western tonal conventions, among 9-month olds, 5-year olds, and adults. Increasing exposure seemed to attenuate the effects of the pattern redundancy while amplifying the influence of…

Tested 59 three-year olds three times over seven months to assess the contribution of development of theory of mind and language to one another. Found that earlier language abilities predicted later theory-of-mind test performance (controlling for earlier theory of mind), but earlier theory-of-mind did not predict later language-test performance…

Two studies probed 3- to 6-year olds' beliefs about wishing and its efficacy. Study 1 showed that children had considerable knowledge about wishing and an age-related decrease in beliefs about its efficacy. Study 2 suggested that children reconcile beliefs in wishing efficacy with knowledge about mental/physical relations by situating them more…

Proposes that conceptual change is constrained by the child's conceptual structures and the structures inherent in problem-solving tasks. Uses a microgenetic case study and group data to examine how interaction between strategies children bring to a task and the detailed task structure redirect children's attention and create the possibility of…

Two studies compared executive function performance of preschoolers with autism and control group matched on age, verbal ability, and nonverbal ability. Study 1 found no group differences on eight tasks. Autistic children initiated fewer joint attention and social interaction behaviors. Followup with subset of Study 1 children found that neither…

Two experiments used Headed Records memory model to examine preschoolers' performance on a variation of Perner's Smarties task, a false-beliefs test. Data indicated that when the computational demands imposed by the original task are reduced, young children can and do remember what they had thought about the contents of a tube even after its true…

Evaluates the thinking of third grade students in relation to an instructional program in probability which was informed by a research-based framework that included a description of students' probabilistic thinking. Reveals that overcoming misconceptions in sample space, applying both part-part and part-whole reasoning, and using invented language…