Salthouse (2011) critically reviewed cross-sectional and longitudinal relations among adult age, brain structure, and cognition (ABC) and identified problems in interpretation of the extant literature. His review, however, missed several important points. First, there is enough disparity among the measures of brain structure and cognitive…

This essay explores how viewing a single Theatre for Young Audiences production might affect the attitudes, values, and/or beliefs of adolescent spectators. Data is drawn from a mixed-methods case study performed with middle school students who viewed a professional performance for young people, and is considered through the lens of cognitive…

In the last three decades there have been a variety of studies of what is often referred to as "everyday" or "street" mathematics. These studies have documented a rich variety of arithmetic practices involved in activities such as tailoring, carpet laying, dieting, or grocery shopping. More importantly, these studies have helped to rectify…

E. Brandstatter, G. Gigerenzer, and R. Hertwig (2006) showed that the priority heuristic matches or outperforms modifications of expected utility theory in predicting choice in 4 diverse problem sets. M. H. Birnbaum (2008) argued that sets exist in which the opposite is true. The authors agree--but stress that all choice strategies have regions of…

Composition is not a straightforward, linear process; it involves a creative search for meaning that becomes clear only as the writer engages in the composing process. This suggests that teaching not dwell on the correctness of the finished product. (Author/SJL)

Considers explanations for women's use of less violent methods to commit suicide. Reinterprets "Snow White" and makes parallel with contemporary clinical cases to show that illusion of a nondefinitive death is often assimilated, in western culture, with step toward rebirth. (Author/NB)

The author builds his foundation for teaching reform on an idea of teaching that emphasizes comprehension and reasoning, transformation and reflection. He discusses (1) sources of teaching knowledge, (2) conceptualizations of these sources, (3) processes of pedagogical reasoning and action, and (4) implications for teaching policy and educational…

The paper discusses alternative research approaches to special education including positivist case studies, the interpretivist approach in general, and three variations within interpretivist anthropology--traditional ethnography, microethnography, and the study of everyday cognition. (DB)

Traces a teacher's search for the flaw in and the solution for a tenth grader's thinking that creates a problem with comprehension. (HOD)

Explores the recorded remarks of one infant female child related to children's books. Contrasts the "fantastic" statements spontaneously generated by the child with the ways in which she responded to animism and other "fantastic" conventions in picture books heard by her at the same ages. (HB)

Examines the student and professional discourse within the same field through a set of case studies written for a third-year course in financial analysis. Reports on the distinct social actions undertaken by student writers as compared with professional practices. Shows commonalities of student and workplace writing. (HB)

Proposes that educational researchers consider the implications of a new psychological concept, dysrationalia: the inability to think and behave rationally despite adequate intelligence. The paper argues that researchers need an intuition pump, or prompt, like dysrationalia to aid in reconceptualizing intelligence because I.Q. tests do not measure…

Examines the reading processes and practices of one female college student through eight semesters of undergraduate education. Traces the student's beliefs about literate activity. Analyzes the student's conceptions of the functions of texts and authors as they grew in complexity. (HB)

Argues for an activity-based theory of genre knowledge. Provides data from case study research concerning "insider knowledge" about genres of academic cultures. Proposes five general principles as a basis for a theory of genre. (HB)

Using data from a study that examined the writing of basic skills and regular college freshman students on three separate tasks, this paper discusses the effect that translating a generalized task into one that engages personal commitment by the writer has on the cognitive strategies employed to respond to that task. After a discussion of the…