Examined age differences in older (N=50) and younger (N=50) adults' comprehension and retention of television programs. Both studies explored content and learner variables. Results suggest that comprehension and retention are related to verbal ability, and that individuals with lower verbal ability may encode less information than their higher…

Describes components contributing to memory development, including: (1) capacity or processing allocation features of the information processing system; (2) strategies or control processes for problem solving; and (3) knowledge or semantic features acquired through experiences. Empirical evidence is reviewed supporting the psychological reality of…

The cognitive-developmental theory of moral development of the handicapped--i.e., a stage-like progress of moral reasoning with age--is only partially confirmed. While there is a development from the less to the more mature forms of moral reasoning, that course of development is not entirely such as the theory assumes. (Author/RM)

Many researchers, wishing to generalize to large numbers, have turned away from Piaget's measurement techniques to group paper-and-pencil tests. The psychometric properties of these tests and their statistical links with other constructs are examined, along with the relationship between the observed products of mental effort and their underlying…

A student development instrument, the Scale of Intellectual Development (SID), designed to measure a model of cognitive development. Validated the instrument with a sample of college freshmen (N=3,321). Results suggest that the SID has promise as a student development instrument; however, additional validation evidence needs to be collected. (RC)

Describes an experiment to see whether the words "front" and "back" introduce the concept of "front-back" or whether the concept preceded the words. Results show that (1) a complex disjunctive concept of "front-back" orientation precedes any knowledge of the words; (2) linguistically, "back" is comprehended before "front"; and (3) children at an…

Describes a study in which children are asked to choose the most probable or permissible of two modal propositions, a technique which assesses the children's appreciation of relative force. Results indicate that the general acquisition rule was: the greater the difference in the strength of the two modal propositions, the earlier the difference…

This discussion is primarily designed to increase teachers' awareness of Piaget's theory of cognitive development and implications for mathematics in the middle school. It is hoped such awareness will compel instructors to adopt strategies that help pupils gain more from mathematical experiences, by providing impetus for innovation and…

Research in progress on some unresolved issues regarding the relationship of cognitive development and language acquisition is reported, especially the relationship between conservation of length and knowledge of relevant comparative dimensional adjectives. Much further investigation is recommended and possible educational implications are…

Educable mentally retarded (EMR) children were presented an item selection task to assess their sensitivity to orthographic structure in printed English words. Analyses of performance indicated that EMR children do acquire implicit knowledge of orthographic rules and that this ability is related to the development of reading skills. (Author)

Research concerning cerebral asymmetry and its effect on scholastic achievement, reading disabilities, learning disabilities, and linguistic competence is reviewed in an exploration of brain hemisphere-specific etiologies of dyslexia. (CJ)

Studied adults (ages 20-79) presented with two types of problem-solving tasks: a typical task used in problem-solving research, and a task composed of practical daily life problems. Results indicated that developmental function depends on the type of problem presented, while performance on abstract problems may decrease with age. (Author)

Investigates adolescents' perceptions of impressions held about them by important others, focusing on cross-sectional differences from early to late adolescence in the structure of social self-conceptions, on differences between parental and peer social self-conceptions and between individual and social self-conceptions, and on adolescents'…

Imitation by infants functions in two ways: (1) to help the individual understand a puzzling event, and (2) to indicate mutuality with another person. Although changes in cognitive understanding influence the course of imitation, the occurrence of imitation in specific situations may be governed by the interplay of the two functions that imitation…

Children's abilities to judge "who is older" without using size as a cue were studied. Five-year-olds were better able to discriminate age than four-year-olds but were not equal to adults. No significant sex differences were found. (Author/RD)