Technologies have become an essential part of the daily life of our children. Consequently, artifacts that imply the early adoption of abstract thinking affect the imagination of children and young people in relation to the world of technology, now much more than they did in the past. With the emerging importance of robots in many aspects of our…

Developmentalism and Romanticism represent contrary poles in an absolutist dichotomy that frames most Western discourse on childhood. This opposition is generally recognized in current childhood studies but the former discourse still dominates institutional practices. Both views, however, rely on similar presumptions--that development is a linear…

Orson Scott Card's school stories in outer space, "Ender's Game" and "Ender's Shadow," purportedly occur at the same time and tell the "same" story, but from the perspectives of two different child protagonists. Scenes in "Ender's Shadow" even reproduce text from "Ender's Game." Nevertheless, 14 years elapsed between the publications of the two…

Contends that fantasy always includes at least one element of the impossible, one element that goes against the laws of the physical universe as currently understood. Suggests that fantasy can help in learning the most fundamental skill of all--how to be human. (MS)

Reflects on a number of topics relating to science fiction, including the power of good science fiction to spark imaginations and provoke serious thought, the role of women in science fiction, childhood experiences that stimulated the author's thought processes, and the author's experiences as a science fiction writer. (ET)

At the simplest level, cyberspace is a sea of information that functions as a huge, generally disorganized, database. At a more complex level, cyberspace functions as a communication medium. In the most complex sense, cyberspace may be conceived as a parallel world where people can conduct ordinary activities without engaging in the physical acts…

Traces the changes in the depiction of childhood in science fiction films from the 1950s to the present decade. Argues that the contemporary science fiction representation of the sentimental child is a cultural idealization that opposes the social reality of the vanishing child. (FMW)

Explains ways that juvenile science fiction has changed and improved during the last decade. Includes a bibliography of titles popular with children and adolescents. (MKM)

Objective: The science fiction film "Invaders From Mars" is used to teach principles of child development; clinical features of separation anxiety and nightmares; and clinical interventions, including child psychotherapy, child protective issues, and crisis management. Methods: Commercial films have been used as teaching aids in child psychiatry…