Infants' sensitivity to social contingencies was assessed. In Study 1, 1-month-old infants and their mothers interacted face-to-face in three types of imperfect contingent interactions: Normal, Non-Contingent and Imitation. One-month-old infants did not discriminate these conditions. In Study 2, 3-month-old infants were tested as in Study 1. At 3…

This article presents a discursive psychological approach in examining the ways that adolescent boys (ages 12-15 years) accomplish a sense of "maturity" by bringing off and managing certain features of "heterosexuality" in group interaction. We focus on and analyse moments when the boys negotiate implicit challenges, make evaluations and offer…

The connections between college student self-evaluation and student development are examined, and it is proposed that such self-evaluation may actively encourage specific aspects of cognitive, psychological, and social development and help the student integrate the experience. (MSE)

The association between attachment representations and adolescents' coping with 3 developmental tasks of emerging adulthood-leaving home, advancing in the capacity for mature intimacy, and developing individuation-was examined. Israeli male adolescents (N = 88) were administered the Adult Attachment Interview during their high-school senior year.…

The term self-regulated is used to describe learners who have highly effective learning and work habits. They are successful in and beyond school. This investigation examines whether and how teachers, who are masters at supporting young students' development of self-regulated learning (SRL), can mentor student teachers to design tasks and develop…

Because they are not guided by an overall goal based on scientific theory, the six national education goals are fragmentary, contradictory, and insufficiently concerned about developing student autonomy--education's true aim. Teachers can help children develop autonomy by encouraging them to make decisions and enforce their own rules, fostering…

Children who come to school without numerical game-playing experience have trouble with math relationships in direct-instruction situations. This article explores the varied roles of active thinking, social interaction, previous knowledge, and child-initiated choice in children's development of math concepts. Self-esteem cannot be built by doing…

This value-added analysis of the short-term effects of early intervention on 489 preschool children found that children with language impairments or multiple disabilities made developmental gains beyond that predicted by maturation alone in several skill areas, whereas children with speech impairments benefited in the cognitive domain only.…

Nine commonly occurring activities were identified in mainstreamed kindergarten and first grade classrooms, the necessary skills for participation were analyzed, and a curriculum was developed. Evaluation of the curriculum showed that 15 handicapped preschool children learned the necessary skills, even when the instructions, environment, and task…

Jean Piaget's belief that children's developmental levels largely determine what they can learn is challenged. Research concerning the existence of cognitive structures in children is critiqued, and problems with administering Piagetian tasks are pointed out. Educators should not restrict children's exposure to learning because, according to…

Four hundred twenty-four families who resided in inner-city neighborhoods and had a child entering 1st grade were randomly assigned to a control condition or to a family-focused preventive intervention combined with academic tutoring. SAFEChildren, which was developed from a developmental-ecological perspective, emphasizes developmental tasks and…

Summarizes the results of a study that examined the importance of selecting suitable learning tasks for individual children and the role computers might play in this matching process. The discussion covers both programs that aid teachers in task selection and programs that allow children to choose their own tasks. (2 references) (CLB)

This is the first study to investigate experimentally how children come to learn mappings between novel phrasal forms and novel meanings: a central task in learning a language. Two experiments are reported. In both studies 5- to 7-year-old children watched a short set of video clips depicting objects appearing in various ways. Each scene was…

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…

Whole task training and graduated guidance were used to teach independent dressing skills to two developmentally disabled 4-year-olds. After the boys acquired basic dressing skills, additional practice (fluency training) elevated their performance to socially validated rates. Follow-up showed that the skills were maintained and generalized to…