In Piaget's developmental psychology the fourth and highest stage of human cognitive development is that of formal operations. The research on formal thought instruments is outlined. This study was designed to construct and validate paper-and-pencil instruments which could be used to select students capable of abstract conceptualization,…

The purpose of this paper is to relate past research on communicability of verbal behavior in schizophrenics to current psycholinguistic theory. The paper reviews the taxonomic methods (segmentation and classification) which have characterized past research on schizophrenic verbal behavior. It is concluded that although interesting results have…

Using Guilford's model, the text reviews the structure of the intellect (SOI) and its operations, contents, and products. Those operations and components are further described, including the factors of cognition, memory, evaluation, convergent-production, and divergent-production. For each factor, the figural, symbolic, and semantic dimensions are…

The occurrence of the two allomorphs of the indefinite article in standard English ("a" before nouns or noun clauses beginning with consonant sounds and "an" before those beginning with vowel sounds) is a concept similar to those studied in the general concept formation paradigm. The acquisition of this grammatical concept was examined using 80…

To investigate the interrelationships between creativity and seven variables, 74 students in grades 4 through 8 plus the vocational group at a school for the deaf were tested. In addition to creativity, subjects were tested for intelligence, academic achievement, imaginative productions, perception by teachers, self-evaluation career aspirations,…

Problem solving flexibility (PSF), an ability commonly assessed in creativity batteries, was studied in a sample of middle class children (grades 1 through 3, average IQ 114), tested on questions resembling Guilford's consequences procedure. An hypothesis linking PSF with alertness to and interest in the environment was generally supported, more…

This study focused on two methodological issues by testing for discriminant validity in a multitrait-multimethod matrix which contrasted the set of estimates obtained from two methods and the "regression weights" derived from each subject's estimates from the second method. In order to change the conceptions of social behavior held by persons from…

An automated program for the reduction of test anxiety in a computer-based learning situation has been developed. Its main components are: 1) a self-study manual containing information and written exercises dealing with coping with test anxiety; 2) a videotape of modeled effective and ineffective coping with anxiety on tests; 3) a brief, modified…

Exploratory research on some aspects of the cultural theory of education in concept development are reviewed and the research findings are outlined. Three hypotheses tested are 1) that children will have cultural mappings (systems of codes for perception and action) that differ from adults; 2) that children at different ages will show a…

The suggestion that academic professions ought to be treated as games and that graduate school training should consist of preparation in gamesmanship is in this author's viewpoint, perfectly in keeping with the epistomological revolution. The literature of the 1960's which criticized the scientific world-view is reviewed. Three positions that…

The purpose of this bulletin, one of a series designed to aid the social studies teacher, is to suggest methods for developing accurate concepts of time and chronology. The importance of these concepts and the instructional problems they present is discussed. A chart offers one basis for a program of grading the skills to be emphasized in time and…

This study examined the following issues: (a) If vocabulary effects are minimized, will there be SES differences in the use of conditional forms by Caucasian children who have reached the fifth grade? (b) Even if SES differences occur in the use of recognizable conditional forms, will children within the same SES be able to transmit conditional…

The author develops a theoretical framework to examine alternative explanations of an aspect of ethnic relations. He considers Negro equality in terms of the social and political structure which makes black/white hostility possible, judging that this structure might indicate an area for change rather than simply defining a state of being. The key…

This educational research project is designed to assess an elementary student's quality of reasoning in relation to map skills and to determine spatial concept abilities. 21 activities are designed to test sense of proportion, scale, dimension, accurate relationship, and abstract thinking. The related topographical map, a Map-Study Scoring Key,…

This inquiry examines the composing process of twelfth-grade writers, using a case study method. Eight twelfth graders were asked, in four sessions, each, to give autobiographies of their writing experiences and to compose aloud three times in the presence of a tape recorder and an investigator. Four hypotheses were formulated: (1) Twelfth-grade…