Confirms the previous suggestion that I-level and Verbal IQ are significantly related--for males, but not for females. The effect among males disappeared when age was introduced as a variable. Two of the variables, age and Verbal IQ, unexpectedly related strongly. (Author)

Investigates the influence of social reinforcement, modeling, direct reinforcement, and words and images on the acquisition of career-related preferences. Students identified social reinforcement as the most important antecedent for their career preference. Career decision making skills mediate the influence of models and direct reinforcement on…

Eighth- and ninth-grade students participated in the vocational exploration group (VEG). The career maturity inventory, administered before and after treatment, indicated significantly positive change. The VEG effectively assisted students to develop positive attitudes toward work and to acquire critical behavior upon which to base mature career…

Middle school students (N=25) with exceptional educational needs were matched with regular students and assessed for their level of moral reasoning using the Objective Assessment of Moral Development. Results indicate exceptional students select types of reasoning typical of younger children, and become less like their peers with age. (RC)

Examined the relationship between early school retention as a result of preschool and kindergarten developmental testing and children's later academic achievement (N=223). Results showed children who scored as immature on the Gesell Screening Test and who were retained a year had the lowest scores on all measures. (JAC)

Proposes criteria for defining and selecting preschool developmental screening instruments and describes the Early Screening Inventory (ESI), a developmental screening instrument designed to satisfy these criteria. Presents results of several studies demonstrating that the ESI predicts school performance with moderate to excellent accuracy through…

The construct of occupational maturity can be extended to create a concept of readiness to retire--retirement maturity. Two significant factors affecting retirement maturity are retirement work plans and retirement residence plans. The Career Development Inventory, Adult seems to be a valuable tool for preretirement counselors. (Author)

The MESSIER, a measure of social and communication skills and the Vineland Social Maturity Scale were administered to 618 severe and profoundly mentally retarded adults. The goal of the study was to establish the potential utility of the MESSIER for classifying level of intellectual disability in this group. Comparing MESSIER scores to previously…

The validity of the Rational Behavior Inventory was investigated by examining its relationship with four other measures of personality in addition to class standing and age. Results supported the validity of the measure. (JKS)

Describes the concept of group maturity and recent attempts to measure the concept. Reports on a study that administered maturity scales to students in communication and management courses and found the scales to be powerful discriminators between mature and immature groups. Discusses implications for small group and organizational communication…

The Social Observation for Mainstreamed Environments (SOME) checklist evaluates handicapped preschool children's social skills and readiness for mainstreamed environments. Checklist items represent social behaviors important to successful preschool integration, such as initiating interactions appropriately, obeying class rules, and respecting…

Addresses event-related factors and cognitive-related factors as identifiers of the end of adolescence and the onset of adulthood. Adolescents were surveyed to determine what they believed were the most important attributes for becoming adults, and at what age their adulthood began. The majority of the sample identified cognitive factors as…

Koppitz Emotional Indicators (EIs) were used to predict the learning-related behavior of kindergarten children on the Lock Box and Guide to the Child's Learning Style. Findings supported the use of EIs as general estimates of learning-related behavior, but diagnostic utility was marginal for children with pathological scores. (Author/LMO)

Rural high school students (32 with learning disabilities and 40 nondisabled) were compared on career maturity. Results indicated that learning-disabled students were less mature on both career attitude and competencies. The underlying structure of subjects' attitude was distinguished by Involvement and Independence. In the competence area, the…

Discusses the construct of career maturity, and reviews research that identifies factors associated with it. Describes six measurement instruments and reviews their uses and psychometric properties. Summarizes information about these measures in two tables. Discusses issues associated with the assessment of career maturity. (Author/EMK)