Describes a study which investigated the relationship between level of cognitive development and mathematics performance for college-age males and females. Ninety-four undergraduate educational psychology students were given mathematics and cognitive exams. Findings indicated significant sex differences in mathematical performance but not in…

This paper considers the insights that can be gained into the 'actual' curriculum, as compared to the 'intended' curriculum, by using an approach which probes the structure of children's understanding. This approach, known as the clinical interview, can be used by teachers and curriculum evaluators to help children understand curriculum content.…

Addresses whether college chemistry instruction should begin at the concrete level of Piagetian cognitive development and what procedures can be used to induce abstract or formal thinking among those students who have not progressed beyond the concrete level. (CS)

Drawing on Piaget's own work and some contemporary studies of social interaction, the author concludes that one may reinterpret Piaget's descriptive psychology in terms of the infant's growing communicative competency. (Author/MP)

Argues that the intelligence, creative functions, and abilities of all children can be increased. The importance of parents as teachers is emphasized. Activities of the Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential in developing methods for enhancing neurological functioning and teaching parents to apply the new methods are described.…

An interview with psychologist-educator Robert Valett focuses on his interests in the thinking patterns of children, his Developmental Survey of Basic Learning Abilities, and his involvement in humanistic education. (CL)

Changes in children's cognitive strategies for solving simple subtractions were studied by analyzing verbal reports given immediately after each problem. The development of children's cognitive processes involved a gradual shift from more primitive and less demanding memory strategies to reconstructive memory processes to retrieval processes.…

Scales for object permanence and spatial relationships were administered to 98 severely and profoundly mentally retarded children (mean age 13 years) on three occasions, 6 months apart. Differences in the difficulty of the items were quite stable, but their order of difficulty differed appreciably from that for nonretarded infants. (Author/SB)

Ten possible sources of individual and developmental differences in memory span--rehearsal, grouping, chunking, retrieval strategies, item identification, item ordering, capacity, susceptibility to interference, search rate, and output buffer--were examined in a review of the literature. Speed with which presented items can be identified emerged…

Studied the development of the concepts of energy conservation and entropy in 5- to 15-year-old children. Energy conservation was not well understood until about age 15. Entropy was understood by 9- to 15-year-olds when the concept was illustrated by the gradual mixing of differently colored, rolling marbles. (Author/DB)

A review of research shows that while some studies support (1) the necessity of developing logical (operational) thought, (2) the maintenance of this cognitive level, and (3) the finality of the formal operational stage, the bulk of research challenges these three aspects of traditional Piagetian theory. (LRA)

Describes a general model within which various techniques of counseling and psychotherapy may be integrated. This model is based on Lewin's formula, that is, behavior is a function of the person and the environment. (Author)

Three of the four stages of cognitive development as spelled out by J. Piaget are reviewed, and several key thinking areas which relate to the development of thinking skills in young hearing impaired children are identified. Techniques for developing such skills used at the Tucker-Maxon Oral School (Portland, Oregon) are offered. (SB)

Traditional developmental protocols based on neurological or sensorimotor models frequently underestimate the cognitive status of physically handicapped infants. A critical review of current clinical practices in the area of infant assessment is followed by a discussion of an alternative approach, a perceptual-cognitive approach, and the…

Proposes theory that the learning processes of first- and second-language learners are fundamentally the same, differing only in kinds of information used by both kinds of learners and the degree of automatization attained. Suggests designing second-language learning processes to simulate those occurring in natural settings. (Author/BK)