Examines developmental change in processes used to retrieve information from semantic memory. Twenty-nine 8-, 12-, and 21-year-olds were asked to name as many animals and pieces of furniture as they could in separate 7-minute intervals. Results suggested that information in semantic memory changes with age, but that retrieval processes do not.…

Three experiments assessed 252 preschoolers' understanding of attributes and dimensions. A conceptual measure and a linguistic measure were employed. Results indicated that the acquisition of some attribute and dimension labels appears to follow closely the trend in conceptual development. (Author/CI)

Reports the results of structured interviews with mothers of 29 children three and one-half to 12 years of age, documenting the development of four categories of food rejection based on distaste, danger, disgust, and inappropriateness. Suggests that lack of contamination sensitivity in younger children is due to their belief that chemical…

Analyzes verbal and figural student concept schemes for environmental issues through aspects of differentiation (number of categories employed), discrimination (range of phenomena involved), and integration (efficiency of organizing method). Results indicate students (N=28) use discrimination most and integration least and constructed…

Children in years three, four, and five of physics study were tested to determine their intuitive preconceptions about forces and equilibrium in the static case, as well as any changes in their conceptual framework that might have taken place as a result of maturity and instruction. (JN)

Interviews with 84 students (12- to 16-year-olds) suggest they have a poor understanding of biological education. Students' responses, question context influences, age trends, and implications for biology teachers are discussed. Among conclusions are: (1) Most students use teleological and anthropomorphic explanations; and (2) evolution should be…

By varying task requirements within a common procedural framework, four experiments established conditions under which children exhibit different understandings of life. Overall, results suggested that even four- and five-year-olds know that people and other animals are alive and that almost all "inanimate objects" are not. (Author/RH)

Presents activities designed to help children understand the notion of a sample in a homogeneous group, a concept essential to understanding "R times E" problems. Underscores the importance of children's understanding the situation in a problem so that they can solve it. (JN)

Examines mastery of spatial-transposition problems by 20-, 30-, and 42-month-old children. Subjects performed well on irrelevant transpositions of three cups. However, on relevant transpositions the correct cup was not selected until 42 months. Results suggest that children initially acquire search patterns on an experimental basis and gradually…

Effects of high and low levels of manual sign translucency and referential concreteness on the manual sign learning of 40 moderately/severely mentally retarded adolescents were investigated. High levels of translucency were a significant facilitator while low levels inhibited learning. Concreteness did not significantly affect sign learning.…

Bringing children to have respect for others is generally regarded as a central task of moral and social education. In this article one particular view of what "respect for others" means and how it is justified is examined critically and found to be unsatisfactory. (Editor)

Attempts to distinguish between two major categories of creativity and draws from the fields of music and art for examples showing how these two types merge compatibly to produce a tangible outcome. (Author/RK)

This study highlights some theoretical ideas which should be considered in attempting to assess the degree of abstraction underlying conceptual learning. (Author/RK)

The Nelson approach, taken from Glenn C. Nelson's "Ceramics--A Potter's Handbook," was used to demonstrate basic design concepts for young students. This approach was intended to introduce the student to design through a basic direction that hopefully cultivates awareness, while allowing individual development. (Author/RK)