Using a balance-beam task, studied 48 preschoolers to elucidate the process of knowledge construction from the emergence of new representation to transformed problem solving. Analyses revealed a multifaceted development from the first signs of weight representation to fully elaborated weight-based problem solving. Case studies of five children…

Delineates the continuing controversy between development and learning, and notes the evidence accumulating for some type of continuum in the processes. Introduces 10 research papers on reconceptualizing the intersection of the two processes and states the arguments for debate and presentation. (ET)

Describes the view of intelligence in Montessori education and dismisses a variety of limited and dehumanizing models of education. Refers to the Montessori model as a "human metaphor" that actually responds to who children are and what they need, and extends that metaphor to the world community at large, encompassing the author's spiritual…

States that puzzles are an important tool in helping children engage in the problem-solving process. Claims that children are interested in puzzles because they can be active as observers, problem solvers, and learners, with little or no assistance from adults and others. Defines nine characteristics of good puzzle-making situations. (MOK)

Presents abstracts of 2 documents and 13 journal articles representing recent research related to the theories of Vygotsky and Piaget in early childhood education settings. Some of the topics include the relationship between proximal development and cooperative learning, scaffolding, sharing books with children, and the importance of make-believe…

Reviews international research that documents how participation in early childhood programs influenced children's later development and success in school. The research shows participation in preschool promotes cognitive development and school success; program type matters little. Further, maternal employment and reliance on child care do not harm…

Investigated developmental differences in implicit memory performance. Subjects ranged in age from second grade to college level. Results suggested that there are two different components in implicit memory, one that shows no developmental difference and relies heavily on perceptual processing and one that shows an age-related or…

Interviewed 13- to 34-months olds about their trauma injury within days and after 6, 12, and 18 or 24 months. Found that the youngest demonstrated little verbal recall. Some who could not narrate about past events at time of injury could verbally recall target words 18 months later. Most of the oldest children demonstrated good verbal recall 2…

Notes that, to enhance a baby's brain development, more stimulation is not necessarily better. Suggests that parents strike a balance by following baby's cues about what makes him or her happy, curious, or bored; read to the baby often; and allow them time and space for individual exploration. Also suggests setting guidelines and limits for…

Examines development of representational thought from the perspective of Jean Mandler's image-schema theory and an action-theoretical approach derived from Piaget's theory. Concludes that empirical findings fail to support hypotheses of early onset, and that representational development is more adequately interpreted within the context of an…

Discusses convergence between instructional practices suggested by research on achievement motivation and practices promoted in mathematics-instruction reform literature by focusing on fourth- through sixth-grade students (N=624) and their teachers (N=24). Concludes that the instructional practices suggested in the literature of both research…

Examined the impact of object boundaries on 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds' quantitative reasoning. Asked subjects to choose between alternative collections that differed in number and size of cookies and in aggregate amount. Found that children were influenced by size of individual cookies at 3 years but were generally unsuccessful in aggregating size…

Examined analytic methods for describing children's social risk. Found that the individual-risk-variables approach provided better overall prediction of developmental outcomes at a particular age. The risk-factor approach provided good prediction of developmental trajectories with moderate to large sample sizes. The risk-index was useful for…

Suggests ways to use dynamic systems analysis to illuminate the pluralistic and multidimensional model described by Larivee, Normandeau, and Parent (2000). Issues discussed include the characteristics of developmental transitions, such as hysteresis; nature of growth processes, such as hierarchical development or predator-prey interactions; and…

Examined infant verbal and nonverbal cognitive development for 1,937 pairs of same-sex 2-year-old twins. Found that verbal and nonverbal development correlated .42. Genetic factors were responsible for less than half of this phenotypic correlation. The genetic correlation between verbal and nonverbal abilities was only .30, suggesting that genetic…