Notes that early infancy, rather than being a period of helplessness, is a period of active exploration and reciprocal interaction with caregivers. Includes activities caregivers can engage in with infants to stimulate infant sensory abilities. (HTH)

Identifies five phases of development to distinguish the course of word reading; notes each phase is characterized by students' working knowledge of the alphabetic system, which is central for acquiring word reading skill. Explains the usefulness of this information for teachers of problem readers. Explains the processes that students acquire in…

Debunks brain/education myths. The term "brain-based education" is redundant; learning is the brain's function. More brain cell connections do not equal more learning. There is no "critical period" for developing human brain capacity. All learning is emotional, and learning never ends. Tips for high-school teachers are…

Examines why children have difficulty with homonymy. Two experiments were conducted. Children, ages 3 and 4 years, had to select or judge another person's selection of a different object with the same name, avoiding identical objects and misnomers. Older children were successful, but younger children failed these tasks. (Author/VWL)

Unsupported assumptions that dyslexics differ from other poor readers by having higher intelligence are challenged by a developmental model proposing that reading difficulty results from early language delays and environmental factors. A mixed transactional model that incorporates early language problems and IQ may be more appropriate. (SK)

The implications of three concepts from cognitive science for understanding of cognitive development are reviewed. These are (1) learning (and induction), (2) analogy, and (3) capacity. A model of analogical reasoning is discussed that specifies changes in representations over age that explain phenomena previously thought to be stage-related. (SLD)

Thirteen 4-year olds were asked to arrange dolls in order from largest to smallest. Longitudinal observations over six months revealed five approaches to ordering and four approaches to correction. The "method of extremum" was employed later in development; otherwise, the order in which approaches appeared was highly variable, with many…

The structure of children's interests changes over time from concrete to abstract. Interest structures differ depending on individual perceptions of preferences and competencies. Longitudinal research with ideographic measures is needed to identify developmental patterns of interests and determine whether Holland's model is valid for children.…

Argues that in addition to domains of value, young children recognize distinct domains of truth. Notes that although value judgments have been shown to be differentiated by age 4, research suggests truth judgments may not be similarly differentiated before grade school age. (JPB)

Camp counselors in training (CIT) are usually adolescents. CIT programs must support teens through their developmental changes and provide opportunities to practice activity and life skills in a safe environment. Developmental tasks teens face are identified and elements of a strong CIT program are discussed. Sidebars present teen trends and…

An analysis of 12 structured clinical interviews with lesbians ranging in age from 22 to 46 reveals limited support for Cass' stage theory. Implications for theory development, counseling, and counselor training, are presented, along with suggestions for future research. (Author/JDM)

Ten 4-year-old children imitated short sentences with falling and rising tones in four intonation groups. Results indicated that children used more falling tones than adults in most intonation groups, suggesting that rising tones may be more difficult for young children to produce than falling tones. (DB)

Article discusses problems associated with promoting intellectual growth in adulthood. Defines characteristics of intelligent behavior as incorporating individual attainment of Resources, Intimacy, Competence, and Health (RICH). Presents the RICH theory as a way to define and address the goals of intelligent enhancement. (JDM)

Explores the verbal reflections of a competent fifth-grade speller as he performed word sorts, spelling lists, and creative writing activities. Finds the accuracy or inaccuracy of the student's statements were related to his level of spelling development, and each literacy task appeared to have a predominant category of responses. (RS)

Argues that dynamic systems approaches may provide an explanatory framework based on general scientific principles for developmental psychology, using principles of self-organization to explain how novel forms emerge without predetermination and become increasingly complex with development. Contends that self-organization provides a single…