Questions whether children's use of language indicates they (1) understand temporal sequence, (2) distinguish goal-oriented from nongoal-oriented activities, and (3) prefer discussing the aspect of events prior to the time of events. Also investigates whether findings for past and future conditions are parallel. (Author/DB)

Statewide mock trial competition can provide business educators with a new way to teach law-related subjects. Students are made aware of the operation of our legal system; they also enhance their verbal, writing, analytical, and research skills. (CT)

Dynamic aspects of maternal language instruction and first language learning were explored by observing one- to five-year-old middle-class children with their mothers. (CM)

In order to test the hypothesis that the ability to form verbal concepts would increase with age, a test for verbal concept formation was developed and administered to 668 children between the ages of 4 and 9. By varying sentences that describe nonsense figures, 4 variables were systematically explored. (MS)

A longitudinal study examining the role of imitation on children's lexical acquisition is discussed here. Findings did not support the view that imitation may enable new lexical items to be acquired, and it is noted that other functions of imitation in language acquisition should be explored. (CHK)

This paper reports data for voice onset time (VOT) for /d/ and /t/, from six children at average age 3;0. Values for /d/ clearly achieve the short voicing lag category of adults, reported previously. Values for /t/, however, are much more varied, although falling within the category long voicing lag. (CHK)

Data are presented that reflect a particular strategy used by a boy from age 1;10 to 2;2 to manage certain polysyllabic words. Analysis shows that substitution was not involved, and an interpretation is made in terms of "underlying forms." Details of the strategy and its component sub-strategies are presented. (CHK)

Investigates verbal behaviors and the relationships with the improvement of learning strategies, motivations, and attitudes in a 7th grade cooperative science classroom setting. Studies students' perceptions of cooperative learning by achievement level. Reports that verbal behaviors in cooperative learning were positively related to the…

According to a study of second and third grade students (N=108), the best predictor for physical aggressive behavior, when sex, social class, and language were considered, appeared to be language immaturity. Results also indicated that verbal aggression may be associated with language maturity. (JD)

Explored the interplay between gestures and words in the early vocabulary of 12 normally developing Italian children at 16 and 20 months of age. Focused on spontaneous production of verbal and gestural types and tokens to assess the diversity and semantic content of the verbal and gestural vocabularies. Results indicated that gestures were used…

Examined children's notions about segments of written sentences. Subjects watched a sentence being written and listened to it being read. The interviewer then asked questions about each word--whether or not it was written and, if so, where. Found that children used word order before phonics to figure out what was written in each segment of the…

Three adolescents with severe mental retardation were trained to request snacks from visible three-item snack sets. During subsequent stimulus control assessment sessions, one subject requested food items when no food items were present, two frequently requested a missing item when the two other items were visible, and all subjects requested…

Children (ages 9-13) with language-learning disabilities were administered 5 types of verbal analogies: synonyms, antonyms, linear order, category membership, and functional relationship. Subjects performed worse than mental age-matched children on all types of analogies and performed worse than language age-matched children on all types except…

Examined phonological short-term memory and new word learning in 5-year olds. Found that learning sound structures of new words was significantly, and to some degree independently, associated with aspects of phonological memory skill and vocabulary knowledge. Learning of familiar word pairs was linked with current vocabulary knowledge, not with…

Notes that children are "wired" to learn, and cites research indicating the importance of talking to an infant for his or her neuron and subsequent cognitive development. Suggests reading aloud, providing positive feedback, responding verbally to the child's actions, and increasing vocabulary. (HTH)