Alcoholism has repeatedly been implicated in many significant social and health problems, yet little is known concerning etiology before age 12. As part of a longitudinal project to investigate alcoholism etiology in preschool children, a study was undertaken which compared families with male preschool children who are statistically at high risk…

This study investigated young children's ability to solve probability problems and studied the cognitive processes proposed by Piaget and Inhelder as necessary to solve probability problems. The effects of tutorial and self-discovery training were measured and discussed. Results from 168 first-graders in five training conditions indicated that:…

Argues that classroom learning inevitably requires adaptive responses by students, and that teachers should deliberately promote the development of students' adaptive learning within a supportive classroom environment by emphasizing the constructive benefits of functional failure and the limited benefits of uninformative success. (SKC)

Part of a prospective longitudinal study examining factors that account for developmental outcomes for high-risk children, this investigation focused on how successful adaptation at 12 and 18 months is related to adaptation at 24 months, 42 months, and 4.5 to 5 years of age. Assessments at each age were designed to indicate how the child was…

The analysis presented here focuses on different problem situations extracted from everyday interactions in which individual developmental changes of the child interfere with well-established interaction patterns of the family. These problem situations require conjoint mastery of two objectives: (a) successful integration of the child into the…

Twenty-four children (ages 6-9) with mild mental retardation received individualized instruction with either emphasis on Piagetian concepts or emphasis on verbal and number concepts. Although both groups made significant gains over a year, the children receiving the Piagetian emphasis usually gained more and progressed at almost the rate of…

Key developmental tasks of adolescence and the unique problems that face the learning-disabled adolescent are outlined, focusing on the role of social competency and communication effectiveness. Components of a comprehensive social competency training program include the nature of the learning disability, the affective-defensive pattern, adaptive…

Offers a descriptive theory of the nature of classroom tasks. Describes the interplay among (1) the conditions under which tasks are set; (2) the cognitive plans students use to accomplish tasks; and (3) the products students create as a result of their task-related efforts. (SKC)

Reports on a study of the mathematical knowledge, strategies, and representations of 16 socially and ethnically diverse preschool children. Finds that the children bring a wide range of competencies that generally are more advanced than the curriculum content presented at that level. (CFR)

Reports research on teachers' beliefs about children's development. Discusses (1) teachers' estimates of ages at which children succeed on tasks, (2) teachers' ability to engage in task analysis, (3) their view of children's error, and (4) their view of developmental accounts. Concludes that good teachers' beliefs provide an inadequate basis for…

Whether or not the spatial cognitive development of students from distinct social-cultural milieus, specifically Anglos from the southwestern part of the United States and Native Turks, would proceed along approximately the same lines was investigated. The overall findings tend to indicate that at times the acquisition of spatial structures may be…

Reviews research about young childrens' focusing on the ability to transform a perceived scene into another representation. Reports on a study of 109 children and 18 college-age students on their ability to mold a lump of clay into a three-dimensional figure. Finds that cognitive maturity alone does not automatically lead to competence. (CFR)

Responds to Claire Golumb's research on the cognitive development of young children's ability to create representations of reality using visual arts. Asserts that young children must find acceptable pictorial substitutes when producing representations. (CFR)