Contrasts Fodor's theory of children's Very Simple Theory of Mind, with the view that children's concepts cross-cut the adult conceptual system: young children do not distinguish between the state of affairs a belief is about and how this state of affairs is thought of, which puts a severe limit on their understanding of belief as distinct from…

Outlines a developmental approach to pedagogy for young children. Basically, a developmental approach takes into account those aspects of learning that change with the learner's age and experience. Development is a primary criterion by which to judge appropriateness. A developmental approach considers knowledge, skills, dispositions, and feelings.…

Three studies involving 391 children aged 3 to 8 years suggest that, by age 3 or 4, children from middle-class and lower middle-class backgrounds seem to appreciate the homogeneous structure of substances and that their ideas about substances form a rather coherent belief system. (SLD)

Investigated the possibility that previous reports of a relation between locomotor status and stage-4 object permanence performance could be generalized to performance on an object localization task. Findings suggest that the effects of locomotor experience on infants' search performance are quite specific and mediated by a variety of factors that…

Discusses John Dewey's views on the meaning and nature of a psychology of human development. Focuses on his early commitment to idealistic philosophy, discovery of social psychology, and consummate interest in education. Dewey proposed that psychology could promote human development and social progress by elucidating mechanisms for realizing…

Examines the impact of Arnold L. Gesell on developmental psychology. Gesell is best remembered for his developmental norms, acquired from observations of infants and children. Gesell's ideas about maturation have lost favor, but his belief in infants' native abilities is still a dominant theme in theories. (BC)

Conceptual and technical problems associated with the use of traditional developmental assessments of young children with disabilities are reviewed. The use of principles of intervention design to guide assessment decision making is discussed. Ecobehavioral analysis and naturalistic interventions are described as promising directions for…

For 24 developmentally delayed children tested, correlations between Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, Fourth Edition (SB:4) and Leiter International Performance Scale (LIPS) global scores was high (r=.78). In seven cases, intraindividual discrepancies were large and significant. SB:4 and LIPS global scores correlated with Vineland Adaptive…

Cites research which suggests that U.S. playgrounds are hazardous and developmentally sterile. Factors that affect the relationship of playgrounds to child development include (1) the developmental appropriateness of playground environments; (2) gender differences in outdoor play; (3) well-equipped play environments; (4) the use of portable play…

Proposes model based on developmental psychopathology for conceptualizing effects of child sexual abuse. Argues that incest has negative effects on self and social functioning, by jeopardizing self-definition and integration, self-regulatory processes, and sense of security and trust in relationships. Reviews self and social development…

The ability of six-month-old infants to remember a functional category acquired in a specific context was assessed in three experiments. Findings revealed that at six months, information about the place where categories are constructed is prerequisite for retrieval of a category concept from long-term memory. (GLR)

Briefly summarizes Vygotsky's life, the appeal and subsequent abandonment of his ideas in the 1960s, and renewal of interest in the 1970s and 1980s (often at the expense of Piaget). Praises van der Veer and Valsinger's book as a realistic picture of Vygotsky's background, life, and work, of the scientific and political context in Russia and of his…

Since the mid-1960s, longitudinal surveys specifically designed to be publicly available to the research community have been carried out. Some recent surveys contain measurements of children's development and present opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration involving developmental psychologists. Benefits of collaborative research are…

The use of statistical techniques by behavioral geneticists to divvy up separate genetic and environmental effects on individual traits is examined. The interactions between genes and environment and the effects that are produced between siblings are discussed. (KR)

Assessed effects of maternal employment on socioemotional development of young children. After controlling for differences at time of child's birth, found that children whose mothers worked full-time beginning in child's first or second year scored more poorly on composite measure of adjustment than did children of mothers who were not employed…