Continuing Judicial Education: Cognitive Development as Content, Process, and Outcome

The Leadership Institute in Judicial Education curriculum provides an opportunity for judges to learn about and work in areas that are unfamiliar to most of them. Literature on experiential learning, the life cycle, and cognitive development provide a lens through which to examine our personal and professional lives. These three theoretical streams intertwine and compliment each other, serving as a background against which to design continuing education for judges. Experiential learning provides teaching strategies that challenge learners to take in and process information in new ways. Viewing identity, intimacy, and generativity as powerful motivators, a curriculum can be developed that encourages the complexity of thinking that we think is essential if judges are going to deal with the complexities our global society presents to them. This approach serves the instrumental needs of judges, and also promotes development along a scheme such as Perry's.     

4～5岁儿童认知发展:适龄入园的积极影响

在全国范围内采取四阶段分层随机抽样,以1391名4岁儿童为被试,采用追踪调查,先后两次(间隔一年)测查儿童的认知能力,建立两水平回归模型考察幼儿园入园年龄与4～5岁儿童认知发展的关系,并进一步探讨家庭学习环境对入园年龄效应的调节作用。结果发现:(1)入园年龄对儿童认知发展的影响是非线性的,且入园年龄效应在儿童5岁时仍然存在;(2)对于家庭学习环境差的儿童,较早入园使得儿童获得认知发展的优势;对于家庭学习环境较好的儿童,则存在一个适中的入园年龄段,能最大程度促进儿童的认知发展。     

Beyond What Develops When

ABSTRACT— There is no single methodology that can fully explain the nature of human development and learning. Yet, headway is being made on how cognitive milestones are achieved during development with the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology. With this methodology, it is possible to assess changes in brain structure, function, and connectivity. Recent findings suggest that both progressive and regressive processes—as opposed to simple linear patterns of change—underlie changes in cognitive abilities. Functional MRI studies suggest that both biological maturation and learning correspond to a fine-tuning of neural systems with enhanced recruitment of task-relevant regions. This fine-tuning of cortical systems corresponds with their enhanced connectivity with cortical and subcortical circuitry. In sum, imaging has helped to move the field of cognitive development beyond questions of what develops and when, to how these changes may occur.     

The Perry Scheme: Across Cultures, Across Approaches to the Study of Human Psychology

This paper presents a series of five studies conducted between the year 1994 and the year 2000. A common goal shared by all five studies is to validate the Perry scheme as measured by the Zhang Cognitive Development Inventory. Involved in the studies were 2,269 (937 males, 1321 females, and 11 did not indicate gender) students from 12 universities in three cultures. All research participants responded to the Zhang Cognitive Development Inventory. Participants from one of the studies also responded to the Study Process Questionnaire. Still, participants from another one of the studies also responded to the Thinking Styles Inventory. Three of the major findings are: (1) the Zhang Cognitive Development Inventory has reasonably good reliability and good internal and external validity, (2) the cognitive-developmental pattern of the mainland Chinese students was opposite to that described by Perry, and (3) the cognitive-developmental pattern described by Perry was not identified in either of the two U.S. samples. Recommendations were made as they relate to future studies using the Zhang Cognitive Development Inventory.     

学习不良儿童的家庭资源对其认知发展、学习动机的影响

运用认知测验法和问卷法,综合考察了１６７中学习不良儿童和１６１名一般儿童的家庭 资料对认知发展、学习以机的影响。表明：学习不良儿童的家庭资源、学习动机和认知发展之间存在着因果关系,家族资源通过两种途径对认知发展发生作用,一是通过影响学习动机促进信知发展二是直接对认知发展发生作用。     

Counterfactual thinking as an issue between language and pretend play / El pensamiento contrafactual como un problema entre el lenguaje y el juego de simulación

Discussions on counterfactual thinking (CT) have been focused on whether it is a language skill or it emerges spontaneously before language acquisition. This paper surveys the most compelling arguments regarding these frameworks: (1) the approach ‘CT as a language skill’; (2) those who claim that pretending shows that children have CT; (3) those who consider pretend play is a rehearsal for cognitive dispositions. I shall point out that the three approaches on CT are incomplete: (1) neglects pretend play (which prelinguistic children perform) as an instantiation of the CT; (2) puts too much emphasis on the linguistic dimension of pretense; (3) is highly demanding on the cognitive architecture that we ought to have by nature — the so-called children as scientists.     

Promoting Student Cognitive Development

This study focused on a theoretically grounded counselor preparation curriculum that was designed to enhance the moral reasoning and cognitive complexity of students as well as teach them the basic skills and theories of counselor education. The curriculum for the counselor training was rooted in a teaching–learning framework that included conditions for facilitating cognitive–developmental growth and skill and theoretical training components. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the developmental effects of the counselor training program as measured in 2 domains of cognitive development: conceptual level and level of moral reasoning. The participants were assessed at 3 different times: prior to entering the counseling program, 1-year into the program, and the month marking the completion of their 2nd year in the program. The Paragraph Completion Method (PCM) and the Defining Issues Test (DIT) were used as estimates of cognitive–developmental level. Analysis of the results revealed a significant gain for the group on the PCM between the 2nd and 3rd assessments and a positive but nonsignificant trend for the DIT.     

学习困难儿童的问题解决特点研究

本研究选取学习困难儿童和正常儿童各 3 2名 ,设置河内塔问题解决的情境 ,采用临床观察法 ,对学习困难儿童在问题解决中的特点作了初步的探究。研究发现 :1与正常儿童相比 ,学习困难儿童在发现和有效运用策略方面明显不足 ,但当学习困难儿童对问题情境比较熟悉后 ,有明显的进步 ;2一定的提示并不能帮助学习困难儿童最有效地应用策略。     

A Perspective on Ritual

Abstract

Ritual has played an integral role in human development and socialization throughout history. This paper seeks to highlight that role so that the importance of perpetuating ritual becomes obvious and necessary. The purpose of this paper is to re-iterate the significance of ritual in human development, education, and social improvement; discuss the origin and evolution of the term ritual; suggest the elements of an effective ritual and provide a hypothetical pyramid of evolving ritualistic behavior as often experienced in learning environments.