Human infants' discrimination of changes in internal and external elements of compound visual patterns was investigated in four experiments employing a familiarization-novelty paradigm in which visual reinforcing patterns were presented contingent upon rate of high-amplitude nonnutritive sucking. (Author/JH)

Literature about death can help children to understand and accept death; bibliographies are included for primary reading, intermediate reading, and adult to child reading. (DD)

In a visual memory task, two degrees of stimulus detail were compared to test Reese's hypothesis that stimulus detail would facilitate retention of paired associates for young children. Forty 4-year-olds and forty 5-year-olds were tested to assess reported trend that elaboration facilitates retention for older children. (JH)

Forty retarded children, a Low Mental Age (MA) Group (mean MA 3-3 years) and a High MA Group (mean MA 5-7 years) were trained on 120 different two-choice visual discrimination problems. Initial performance differences were interpreted as a differential preference for novel and familiar stimuli. (JH)

In this study 56 prekindergarten and 174 kindergarten children learned to choose either the card with more or the card with fewer elements in simultaneous discrimination problems. Learning was faster when the card with more elements was positive, particularly when a zero-element card was involved. (Author/SB)

Over recent years, various theories have arisen to explain and predict cognitive development in mathematics education. We focus on an underlying theme that recurs throughout such theories: a fundamental cycle of growth in the learning of specific concepts, which we frame within broader global theories of individual cognitive growth. Our purpose is…

Many educators may or may not be familiar with the term constructivism, but probably recognize it as something to do with learning. The main tenet of constructivist learning is that people construct their own understanding of the world and in turn, their own knowledge. This ERIC Digest examines the constructivist view of learning and how it…

This paper discusses the nature of cognitive research and its implications for learning and teaching science. In addition to needing adequate financial support, active involvement of scientists and educators, and education of teachers, two other factors should loom large in the development of new instructional materials in science and in the…

The work of Lev Vygotsky, a Russian developmental psychologist, has made enormous recent contributions to the fields of child development and education. This paper recounts a conversation with Gita Levovna Vygodskaya, Vygotsky's eldest daughter, also a psychologist. There were two foci of the conversation. The first was on the parallels between…

Models of development and models of memory reflect either a mechanistic or organismic world view. A merger of the information-processing models of memory and qualitative models of development is suggested, and has valuable implications about the possible nature of "locus" of memory development (ST)

A study of the development of elementary school children's appreciation of riddles was conducted within the framework of the incongruity and resolution theory of humor. (ST)

Low-birth-weight infants, who received extra stimulation showed improved development through six months of age. (ST)

For related article see ej 058 934.