Asks how intellectual development is tied to social setting. Considers this question from three perspectives: republican, cognitive developmental, and historical-materialists. Concludes that each recognizes that thinking is a product of social conditions. Discusses the importance for social studies education in terms of content and…

Examines the history of curriculum development at Brooklyn College (New York) in order to show that a coherent general education requirement is most likely to address the problem of student diversity. Suggests this core curriculum can be replicated at other institutions. Emphasizes the need for sustained faculty development. (KO)

Explores relationships between motivations for television viewing, including shyness, loneliness, self-esteem, and three measures of social support. Suggests viewing motivations are related to needs arising from two distinct sources: social compensation and mood management. (MS)

Two case studies examined the relationship between preschool teachers' educational level and their interactions with students. Subjects were two preschool teachers with degrees and three without. Specific similarities and differences among the teachers support the need for instruction in developmentally appropriate practices for adults who work…

This paper establishes a conceptual framework for assessing problem-solving abilities of gifted secondary students. Assessment procedures based on a continuum of problem types are described. Issues discussed include multiple types of intelligence, the use of multiple measures, sensitivity to individual differences, and assessment for the student's…

Reviews what is known about the factors that influence child's food-acceptance patterns, including children's sensory responsiveness, innate preferences, and ability to learn about food; the consequences of eating; and the effect of child-feeding practices on children's food-acceptance patterns. Suggests that early experience contributes to the…

This study first found that an adaptation of the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for Young Children exhibited construct validity and test-retest reliability in assessing preschool children's sensitivity to age-related differences in peers' developmental abilities. Second, children with disabilities were viewed as less…

Reports on a study of the determinism-free will debate presented in 15 textbooks published between 1956-1965 and 38 texts published between 1983-1992. Finds that most textbooks still favor a deterministic position. Issues a call to sociology teachers to reflect carefully about the way the choice debate is depicted. (CFR)

Data from the 1988 National Family Growth Cycle IV are used to identify individual, family, sociocultural, and social structure factors that influence pregnancy resolution decisions of first conception among African American and Hispanic American adolescents aged 15 to 21 years. The discriminating power of variables differs with race and…

How students' cultural backgrounds and the variation of these backgrounds in different educational units affect the phenomenon of dropout and change of career plans was studied with 39,831 Finnish college students from 1985-90. Students' tendency to drop out is connected to some degree to sociocultural background. (SLD)

Describes the Cooperative Extension Water Watchers Program (Washington) that brings together participants from diverse backgrounds, introduces them to environmental and natural history topics, encourages discussion of "hot" issues, and concludes with participants volunteering in environmental projects. The program is successful because…

Yearly cognitive tests were administered to adoptive and nonadoptive siblings between one and seven years of age and identical and nonidentical twins between one and three years. Results indicated that genetic influences are a source of continuity and change in mental development, whereas shared and nonshared environmental effects contribute to…

This article comments on the reporting by Douglas Detterman and others (EC 604 995) of a larger magnitude of g among young adults with mental retardation. Reliance on g-based measures for screening and diagnosis may thus be misleading, by implying that those tested were less differentiated than may be the case. (JDD)

Describes the biological basis of learning and individuality. Presents an overview of recent discoveries that suggest learning engages a simple set of rules that modify the strength of connection between neurons in the brain. The changes are cited as playing an important role in making each individual unique. (MCO)

Decoding, working memory, and domain-specific prior knowledge were studied as predictors of comprehension for 48 university undergraduate students after rewriting notes, rereading notes, or rereading a text. Working memory was most important for comprehension of text-implicit information, whereas knowledge was relatively more important for…