THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE LEARNING OF LAW BY INDIVIDUAL CHILDREN IN A SOCIAL STUDIES SETTING AND THE THINKING THEY BROUGHT TO THE INSTRUCTIONAL SITUATION WAS EXPLORED. ASPECTS OF CIVIL LAW AND THE LITIGATION PROCESS WERE TAUGHT AND STUDIED FOR 20 HOURS IN TWO SIXTH-GRADE CLASSES. FIVE CHILDREN IN EACH CLASS HAD BEEN SELECTED IN ADVANCE FOR INTENSIVE CASE STUDY. TESTS, INTERVIEWS, AND OBSERVATIONS WERE CONDUCTED BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER THE LAW INSTRUCTION. IN THIS REPORT, THE CASE STUDIES OF TWO NEGRO BOYS FROM INTACT, LOWER MIDDLE-CLASS FAMILIES WERE PRESENTED. THE BOYS WERE COMPARED ON CREATIVE THINKING, ABSTRACT THINKING, AND COGNITIVE APPROACHES TO PROBLEMS INVOLVING LAW. THE BOYS' PERFORMANCE ON NONLAW PROBLEMS, BOTH SOCIAL AND NATURAL, WERE ALSO STUDIED. THE REPORT DISCUSSED THE CHILDREN'S THINKING IN TERMS OF THE INFLUENCE OF PERSONAL CONCEPTIONS OF THE INTERPRETATION OF THE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL AND THE RELATIONSHIP OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT TO SOCIAL STUDIES THINKING. THE AUTHOR CONCLUDED THAT (1) THE STUDY PROVIDED NO ANSWER TO THE QUESTION OF HOW A CHILD'S BASIC CONCEPTIONS LIMITED OR FACILITATED THE ACQUISITION OF SPECIFIC INFORMATION AND MEANINGS, AND (2) LEARNING OR "THE RECONSTRUCTION OF A CHILD'S THINKING" MUST CONSIST OF COMPLEMENTING WHAT EACH CHILD HAS IN THE WAY OF STYLE AND BASIC CONCEPTONS. (GD)