Reviews "The Mind's Staircase: Exploring the Conceptual Underpinnings of Children's Thought and Knowledge," edited by Robbie Case. A main thesis of the book, which discusses theoretical issues and presents empirical evidence, is that children's cognitive development is guided by central conceptual structures, or networks of concepts that…

Two experiments examined the role first, third, and fourth graders' intuitive theories about a subject played in their concept formation about the subject. Found that elementary school children can use theories to link together specific features associated with individual concepts. (MDM)

Investigated the cognitive development of children with emotional and behavioral difficulties (EBDs). Found that children with EBDs showed a similar order of acquisition of conservation as normal children, and the thinking of children with EBDs was characterized by a high degree of uncertainty. (BC)

Examined patterns of socio-cognitive growth among 23 Anglo-American and 23 Chicano college students. Results indicated that patterns for the two groups differed. Although groups were similar in epistemic performance levels, factors associated with performance levels of Anglo-American students were unrelated to performance levels of Chicano…

The systems approach assembles in a single assessment setting four basic instruments to determine the current functioning status of the individual for the purpose of better understanding the dynamics involved in severe behavior problems: (1) the Democratic Maturity Test ; (2) the Life Fulfillment Inventory; (3) the Voluntary Control Test; and (4)…

Presents a conjoint recognition paradigm and a model that quantifies conscious and unconscious memory for learned materials and for the types of unlearned materials found to induce false memories in children. Validation study showed that model accounted for 7- and 10-year-olds' performance on recognition memory task. Conscious and unconscious…

Three studies examined preschoolers' use of desires to solve theory of mind problems. Findings indicated that even young children could correctly attribute a false belief to an agent when that belief was about the status of a pretense. Subjects found it easier to attribute a false belief when the desires of the agent were eliminated. (Author/KB)

Extrapolated data from a 1990 study of 54-month-old children to examine attachment representations. Subjects' story completions were scored for idea units and scriptedness, revealing advanced validity compared to those of younger subjects. Concluded that analysis of cognitive variables may be used to understand attachment representations and their…

Presents a theoretical account of human shift learning with the use of neural network tools. Details how simulations using the cascade-correlation algorithm which show that networks can capture the regularities of the discrimination shift literature better than existing psychological theories. Suggests that human developmental differences in shift…

Explores how a developmental framework can be used in teaching college students learning strategies. Suggests that a developmental framework can add to educators' effectiveness in assessing students' needs and providing appropriate instruction, as well as in showing them how to help students acquire academic literacy and learning strategies that…

Investigates the sequence and trajectory of the development of moral reasoning, particularly in adulthood, and the relationships among education, gender, and moral-reasoning-stage change. Results of interviews with predominantly white, well-educated, middle-class participants indicate that moral reasoning, as conceptualized by Kohlberg, can…

Defines spatial structuring as the mental operation of constructing an organization or form for an object/set of objects. Examines in detail students' structuring and enumeration of two-dimensional rectangular arrays of squares. Concludes that many students do not see row-by-column structure. Describes various levels of sophistication in students'…

This study sought to: (a) determine whether personal-growth orientation and hardiness mediated the relations of parental alcoholism and family functioning to psychological well-being and distress; (b) determine whether this model was invariant across men and women; and (c) examine the role of parental alcoholism in a model that included family…

Reviews cognitive processes, control mechanisms, and structures in creative thinking, and examines the way these aspects of cognition develop from childhood to adulthood. The cognitive definition of creativity, cognitive approaches to novelty production, creativity and cognitive development, and mechanisms guiding cognitive processes are explored.…

Fifty-four gifted adolescents performed a creative generation task in which they imagined and drew fruit that might exist on another planet. They developed fruit that was rated as more original than developed by college students, and did so regardless of whether they were explicitly instructed to be more creative. (CR)