THE CHILD'S CAPACITY FOR SELF-ACTUATED INTELLECTUAL GROWTH AND THE POSSIBILITY OF SPEEDING UP INTELLECTUAL GROWTH THROUGH IMPROVED OPPORTUNITIES AND INCREASED STIMULATION WERE STUDIED. SIX EXPLORATORY STUDIES CARRIED OUT DURING THE FIRST TWO YEARS OF THIS PROJECT WERE REPORTED. THE THREE MAIN AREAS OF LEARNING WHICH WERE INVESTIGATED WITH THE IDEA OF LOCATING PROMISING APPROACHES WERE READING, CREATIVITY, AND LOGICAL OPERATIONS. THESE STUDIES CONCERNED (1) EXPLORING THE TEACHING OF READING TO VERY YOUNG CHILDREN, (2) A TEACHING MACHINE APPROACH WHICH SHOWED SOME PROMISE IN THE FIRST STUDY, (3) PREFERENCES FOR HIGH-FREQUENCY VERSUS LOW-FREQUENCY WORD USE OCCURRING IN CHILDREN'S SPEECH, (4) CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES INVOLVING INDEPENDENT PROBLEM-SOLVING, AND GUIDED CONSTRUCTION, (5) A METHOD OF INDUCING CONSERVATION OF SUBSTANCE IN KINDERGARTEN CHILDREN, AND (6) TEACHING FORMAL LOGICAL OPERATION TO PRESCHOOL CHILDREN. TWO OTHER STUDIES WERE DISCUSSED, INCLUDING (1) INSTRUCTION OF DIRECT VERBAL INSTRUCTION IN LANGUAGE, ARITHMETIC, AND READING TO FOUR-YEAR OLD DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN, AND (2) COMPARISON OF A DIRECT VERBAL INSTRUCTION WITH A MONTESSORI PROGRAM FOR FOUR-YEAR OLDS. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS WERE MANY AND VARIED. (EF)