Reviews several experiments which examined the cognitive function of finger writing, an activity widely used by Japanese people and thought to be related to Kanji learning. Children and university students performed either Kanji anagram tasks or English word tasks. Finger writing appears to originate from the existence of motoric or action-based…

Describes dynamics and interventions in relation to adolescents who express concern about gay and lesbian issues. Advocates therapeutic intervention based on psychological and emotional aspects of sexual preference, and cultural and social expectations of those who identify themselves as gay or lesbian. Describes three case studies. (Author/BB)

Examined relationship between career choice satisfaction and vocational decision making uncertainty and college freshmen's developmental level on Kohut's idealization construct for 476 entering students who had selected majors in engineering and technical sciences. Results support importance of idealization construct's relation to career choice…

Forty students aged 9-18 were asked to explain the meanings of lexically ambiguous advertisements from magazines, newspapers, and brochures. Older subjects explained the meanings correctly more frequently than younger subjects. The psychological meanings of the ads were found to be more difficult to explain than the physical meanings. (Author/JDD)

Investigated the criterion-related validity of the Battelle Developmental Inventory (BDI) when used with 70 handicapped children less than 30-months-old. Compared scores with those on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development. Supported the validity convincingly using multivariate data analyses. Commends the BDI's value in assessing delays in…

Babbling samples from 11 normally hearing infants and 14 hearing-impaired (HI) subjects, aged 4-39 months, were analyzed. Differences were observed between consonantal phone inventories of hearing-impaired subjects and hearing infants, between inventories of HI subjects with sensori-neural loss and those with conductive loss, and between younger…

Examines day care in the context of normal developmental issues. Elaborates on Jay Belsky's views on the role of developmental concepts in day-care issues. (SKC)

William Perry's description of college students' stages of cognitive development is condensed into four classification categories, which are explained and told in an animal allegory. This presentation clarifies the theory for teacher use. (MSE)

Considers Blos' conceptualization of adolescence as the stage when a second process of separation-individuation takes place. Notes various handicapping conditions may force adolescent to stay closer to family and hence interfere with adolescent's separation-individuation. Suggests that nature of interference will vary depending on whether the…

Argues that there are significant ways in which neither Piaget nor his successors in developmental psychology have adequately described the child's mind and how it changes. Proposes alternative guidelines for research that aims more directly at identifying essential constituent features of the child's mental reality. (PCB)

Examines research in developmental psychology and science education that has attempted to assess the validity of Piaget's theory of formal thought and its relation to educational practice. Position papers (with little or no empirical support) are not included. (Author/JN)

Drawing on longitudinal followups of Head Start children, cross-cultural data from Denmark, and studies of gifted and talented persons, this article advises parents that out-of-home care need not be harmful to their children. However, a high-pressure academic program might have long-lasting negative effects. Cites 14 references. (MLH)

In 1981, the Missouri State Department of Education hired the authors to design a model parent education program to enrich children's learning experiences during the first three years. The program, whose availabilty is now mandatory in Missouri, grew out of the authors' research with above average preschoolers and other early childhood studies.…

Responds to two articles in this "Educational Leadership" issue by Richard Salzer and by Lorrie A. Shepard and Mary Lee Smith that criticize overtesting and preoccupation with developmental differences in kindergarten-age children. Defends physical, sensory, and developmental assessment to help identify children's areas of strength and weakness.…

Based on a 1983 presentation, this article characterizes the nature of play and delineates its fundamental functions. Relates an experiment showing how free play aided problem solving more than structured lessons in young children. Concludes with suggestions for facilitating play to aid intellectual growth. (JDH)