A longitudinal examination of the transition to symbolic communication in the second year of life

Between 10 and 24 months of age, children progress from communicating through conventional signals to communicating through symbols in a variety of situations. The present study investigates this transition analysing mother–child communication frames and the child's communicative acts, and tracing the developmental changes in both frames and communicative acts. Four children (2 girls, 2 boys) and their mothers were observed longitudinally and extensively, from 10 to 24 months of age, using a multiple case‐study method. Through the detailed investigation of these single cases, clear developmental rajectories were found, showing that conventional frames and representational gestures ‘bridge’ the transition from attentional to symbolic communication. There were significant differences between dyads and children in the developmental trajectories for several frames and communicative acts. The results not only confirm previous findings on the development of verbal and gestural communication, but provide new insights into the transition to symbolic communication in the second year of life, first because of the use of frame analysis and second because of a focus on individual trajectories in development. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Cornell Institute for Research on Children: A vision of integrated developmental science

The Cornell Institute for Research on Children (CIRC) is an intellectual infrastructure funded by the National Science Foundation under the aegis of the Children's Research Initiative, which was spearheaded by Rodney R. Cocking. Cocking's vision of integrated developmental science is an integral part of CIRC's philosophy. CIRC aims to integrate knowledge and paradigms from a variety of fields (e.g., developmental psychology, economics, neuroscience, and pediatrics), which take different perspectives on similar issues (e.g., the effects of toxins on cognitive development), making it explicitly interdisciplinary. The object of CIRC studies is to apply research findings to social policy. To accomplish this, CIRC provides resources to enable teams of scholars from diverse fields to collaborate on policy-relevant questions. CIRC's approach begins by asking policy-makers to define questions for researchers to address, then shepherds the process by which scholars from various relevant disciplines are commissioned to work as a team to answer such questions. To demonstrate the strengths of this approach we describe the six components that comprise CIRC and provide an actual example of a project that CIRC has commissioned as well as a hypothetical example of a project that CIRC could undertake. This article is a progress report, written in an effort to disseminate information about CIRC's agenda.     

发展性协调障碍与书写困难个案研究

该研究对一个14岁书写困难儿童zl的动作和认知技能进行了系统的考察。zl的书写困难主要表现在以下几方面：书写速度慢,字与字之间的空间距离非常近,字迹难以辨认,笔画顺序混乱。该研究首先测查了zl的基本智能和一系列精细动作技能、视觉、视空以及序列加工能力。结果发现他的基本智能、视觉加工能力正常,动作技能和视空加工能力皆显著落后于控制组儿童。语言能力测试发现,他的识字量、阅读理解和听力理解均正常。他在汉字单字、双字词、数字和图片命名上的正确率与控制组没有显著差异,但命名速度明显慢于控制组。神经生理检查发现,他的脑电波轻度异常,核磁共振扫描(MRI)显示双侧脑室体后部和枕角周围白质和小脑发育异常。这些结果表明该儿童的书写困难是更广泛的动作协调障碍的一种体现,并可能以他的脑神经发育状况为基础。文章讨论了zl书写障碍的认知神经机制及对书写障碍早期鉴别和训练的意义。     

Use of Logotherapy's Mountain Range Exercise with Male Adolescents with Mental Retardation/Developmental Disabilities and Sexual Behavior Problems

This article discusses the use of logotherapy's Mountain Range Exercise (MRE) with adolescent males with mild to moderate mental retardation/developmental disabilities and sexual behavior problems in a high-management group home setting. The activity was used in group therapy with nine patients to build rapport, clarify values, enhance attention and focus, and facilitate patient disclosure of sexual offense histories in subsequent sessions. The literature on youths with sexually aggressive behavior problems is reviewed, followed by the rationale for using the technique with this population. Future directions for research are offered.     

汉语发展性深层阅读障碍的个案研究

报告了一个发展性阅读障碍个案J,J的语音技能存在缺陷,音位、声调意识差,语音短时记忆能力弱,在汉字命名中产生大量语义错误、视觉错误和选择错误,表现出一系列深层阅读障碍症候群,是一例典型的深层阅读障碍个案。还讨论了汉语发展性阅读障碍亚类型的分类标准以及分布特点。     

程式知识与幼儿心理理论的发展关系

研究探查56位3－5岁幼儿的程式知识、接受性言语能力以及他们在假装认识、外表－事实区分、错误信念和表征变化等心理理论（Theory of mind,ToM)任务上的表现,着重探究程式知识、言语能力与幼儿对心理状态的认识之间的发展关系。结果表明：（1）排除年龄因素后,程式知识对幼儿关于错误信念的认识、假装－事实的区分和假装者信念的推测有显著影响,但对关于外表－事实区分的影响不显著;（2）排除年龄因素后,言语能力对幼儿在各种心理理论任务上的表现的影响不显著。     

Infant Attention Grows Up: The Emergence of a Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Perspective

Visual attention has long been regarded as a tool for studying the development of basic cognitive skills in infancy and early childhood. However, over the past decade, the development of attention in early life has emerged as an important topic of research in its own right. This essay describes recent changes in the methods used to study attention in infancy, and in the nature of inferences about the early development of attention, as both research and theory in the area have become progressively integrated with models of attention from cognitive science and neuroscience.     

听觉、时间加工能力与发展性阅读障碍

近年来阅读障碍者的知觉加工越来越受到重视 ,本文介绍了近期国外关于阅读障碍者的听觉加工能力、时间加工能力的最新研究进展。快速听觉加工能力的缺失在阅读障碍者身上普遍存在 ,并被认为是阅读障碍产生的主要原因 ;有研究者提出“时间控制障碍”假说 ,认为阅读障碍源自一种普遍性的时间知觉障碍 ,不具有通道特异性。除此之外 ,还发现阅读障碍者对声音频率、响度等非时间特征也出现了觉察困难。通过这些研究我们可以看到 ,听觉加工能力、快速时间加工能力与阅读能力之间可能有着密切的关系 ,但这几种能力如何具体作用于阅读发展 ,它们之间如何相互作用、相互影响仍需进一步探讨。     

发展性阅读障碍的生理基础

发展性阅读障碍是关系人类健康和发展的重要课题,对其产生机制的探讨有利于寻找适当的治疗方法.文章在简要回顾阅读障碍的界定、研究内容和有关理论争论基础上,重点介绍了阅读障碍的神经基础和遗传机制.文章从大脑结构和功能单侧化、完成认知任务时大脑的激活模式、激活时间进程以及视觉巨细胞等方面介绍了发展性阅读障碍者与正常读者之间存在的差异.文章还指出许多双生子研究都发现同孪双生子的阅读障碍同现率高于异孪双生子,尤其是近期的遗传学研究鉴定出几个与阅读障碍有关的染色体,如6号和15号染色体与语音障碍和拼写障碍有关.这些研究结果说明发展性阅读障碍有一定的脑神经基础和遗传基础.     

离异家庭儿童发展性研究综述

随着世界各国离婚率的提高,离异家庭对儿童发展的影响已经成为众多学者研究关注的焦点.文章着重介绍和分析了离异家庭儿童发展性研究的进展、离异家庭儿童心理和行为问题的产生机制以及离异家庭儿童发展的影响因素和作用机制.最后对公共政策的制定提出建议.