It has been postulated that the result of the Mexican woman's inability to live up to the stiff requirements of her culture should show itself in depressive trends. These theories are often applied to the Mexican-American female as well. The aim of this study was to determine if acculturation is related to depression in Mexican-American females. A…

Existing demographic analyses do not explain the negative relationship between population growth and life-support systems that are now emerging in scores of developing countries. The demographic transition, a theory first outlined by demographer Frank Notestein in 1945, classified all societies into one of three stages. Drawing heavily on the…

While healthy families and minority family systems are two areas of family research currently getting attention, little is known about what various ethnic families consider to be important traits of healthy families. To examine this issue and to assess family strengths and marital and parenting satisfaction for different ethnic samples, parents…

Previous studies have shown that both economic and familial factors affect the status of the elderly across cultures. The objective of this study was to identify other antecedents of the status of the elderly, especially those involving the familial and religious domains. The presence or absence of ancestor worship was used as an indicator of the…

Nisan responds to Turiel, Nucci, and Smetana's (1988) critique by stating that it merely serves to emphasize the difficulty involved in distinguishing between the moral and the conventional without reference to the cultural meaning of the act. (PCB)

Assesses the generalizability of structure of temperament across culture. Responses of 304 Japanese college students (59.5 male) to the Dimensions of Temperament Survey (DOTS) were compared to those of the American sample studied by Lerner, Palermo, Spiro and Nesselroade (1982) through the use of confirmatory factor analytic procedures. (Author/BE)

A study of 188 ninth grade American and Mexican boys and girls found significant similarities in their perception of the characteristics of the ideal man and woman. However, boys emphasized physical characteristics more than girls, and many cross-cultural differences are reported. (FMW)

Discusses methodological problems in the use of ecological analysis and pancultural analysis in cross-cultural analysis. Uses a case study to compare the use of cross-cultural analysis and a new procedure based on a within-culture standardization procedure. (FMW)

Presents results of a study comparing stereotypes of good, evil, weakness, power, and control across five national borders. Concludes that dimensions of power and control have considerable communality across cultures, as do definitions of good and evil. Reports that manifestations of these moral concepts in everyday behaviors can vary widely. (DK)

Presents study results comparing the cognitive profiles of kindergarten and first-grade Japanese and Canadian students. Explains that the test used measured a full range of individual differences in the development of children's general cognitive skills. Suggests that higher Japanese performance may be related to home-based factors, preschool…

In recent years, concern in several Southeast Asian nations about the deterioration of values within their societies has resulted in renewed efforts to teach values by means of special courses in the schools. This paper compares the current programs of values education in four of the nations: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Phillipines, and Singapore.…

Research on moral development from a cognitive-developmental perspective has been undertaken predominantly with Western subjects and most often with males. To investigate variables associated with moral reasoning among Palestinian Arabs, 259 male and female university students between the ages of 18 and 26 completed Rest's Defining Issues Test…

Eight German and eight Italian children were observed during their first year in preschool. Cultural differences and similarities in play and behavior and sex differences are reported. Findings suggest that strategies that children use to enter kindergarten or a new group exist universally. (Author/RH)

This critique of Nisan's (1987) study of morality and convention addresses methodological considerations for cross-cultural research on children's moral and conventional concepts. (PCB)

Describes three themes that have informed research on cognitive development in sub-Sahara Africa over the past 10 years: (1) extending the range of generalizability of Western theories; (2) interpreting the uniqueness of the African situation; and (3) deriving implications for social policy. (Author/AS)