Examined longitudinal change and stability in daydreaming and curiosity among 74 gifted children and adolescents. Findings suggest pattern of both change and stability in intellectual styles over time. Measures which tap content of daydreams changed over time, but measures of process or ways of relating to the environment, such as curiosity and…

Explores how ethnicity, a discrete variable, and the continuous variables of a person's ethnic identity and self-construal contribute to the use of particular coping strategies. Results supported the hypothesis that ethnicity as a discrete variable is not associated with coping, but that ethnic identity and self-construal are. (Contains 48…

Assessed sexual maturation and sociosexual behaviors in 101 nine- to 11-year-old low and middle income Black children. Data confirmed that girls were more advanced in sexual maturation than boys. Results of a self-report behavior scale indicated sexual behavior was related to physical development in boys but not girls. (JAC)

Surveyed 426 children from intact, divorced, and reconstituted families, who responded to the Personal Attribute Inventory for Children to evaluate their families and themselves. Results showed a significant association between children's self-concepts and both their family structure and family concepts. (JAC)

Investigated the motivational nature of the Motive to Avoid Success (MAS) in a sample of 105 fifth- to eighth-grade females who participated under noncompetitive and competitive conditions. Results did not substantiate the motivational nature of MAS. MAS did not predict performance in a competitive situation. (Author/JAC)

Investigated inhibition in a mixed-sex spelling bee, using a sample of 36 middle-class Black and 32 Hopi Indian preadolescents. Spelling scores indicated that high-skill girls in both cultures performed below their established levels of capability when opposing low-skill boys. In general boys were more eager to compete. (JAC)

Investigates the interplay of puberty, gender, weight, and age in regard to body image and disordered eating behaviors and attitudes in a sample of early adolescents. Results reveal that after menarche, females had increased personal expectations and were dissatisfied with weight/shape changes. Young males at puberty desired to build up their…

Examines the effects and interactions of gender, pubertal status, and body weight on the self-concept of young adolescent Australian students. The mean self-concept score was significantly related to students' standard body weight, and there was an interaction between gender and puberty, with postpubertal males having the highest and…

Data from early adolescents and parents revealed traditionalism of female sex role attitude development influenced by maternal employment, father's sex role attitudes in interaction with time spent with daughter, and chronological age; traditionalism of male sex role attitude development influenced by mother's sex role attitudes in interaction…

Investigates the incidence and patterns of substance use and predictive risk factors in fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade low-income family Mexican Americans. Results capture patterns of substance use among this population over two years, as well as the relationship between reported risk factors in year one and the use of minor and major substances…

Examined the tendancy of non-Indian teachers to rate Amerian Indian early adolescents as behaviorally disordered more often than non-Indian children. Non-Indian teachers (N=28) rated a hypothetical Indian or non-Indian student. No significant cultural bias was found. (JAC)

Examined gender stereotypes among sixth-grade students whose teachers had or had not participated in intervention to decrease gender stereotypes. Findings supported hypothesis that students in experimental group would show greater preference for more prestigious professions than would students from control group. Hypothesis that experimental group…

Investigated the joint effects of attitude survey format and language arts achievement level on students' (N=82) attitudes toward reading. Results indicate no significant main effect on attitude responses due to achievement level but the main effect due to survey format was significant. Interaction between achievement level and format was also…

Examines the hypothesis that early adolescent girls (N=175) with more negative weight-related body images would report higher levels of depressive symptoms. Results indicate that the more subjective and personal measures of weight-related body image discontent (weight dissatisfaction and weight concerns) were associated with increased depressive…

Evaluated the effectiveness of the Life Choices program in increasing internality and perceived competence in 74 sixth-grade girls. Results indicated the program was successful for working class subjects, but lower class girls showed no increase in internality or knowledge of career alternatives. (JAC)