Data indicate that for girls, affective dispositional factors (empathy, depressive affectivity, aggression, and self-concept) are intimately linked to cognitive development and academic achievement. (PCB)

Examined disagreements between 9 and 10 year olds as a function of friendship status. While children played a board game, conflicts occurred more frequently among friends than among nonfriends. During conflicts with friends, girls tended to use assertions accompanied by rationales, whereas boys tended to use assertions without rationales. (MDM)

Examined the existence of friendship and friendship network characteristics among 227 fifth- and sixth-graders who differed in popularity status. Found that all children reported having at least one unilateral friend, while unpopular children were less likely than popular children to have at least one reciprocal friend. (MDM)

Found that, although 10- to 14-year-old sons of hypertensive parents showed greater systolic blood pressure reactivity to interadult anger and to a challenging task than sons of normotensive parents, there was no consistent pattern in the response of girls. (MDM)

Assesses the social image of cigarette smoking held by early- and middle-adolescent smokers and examines whether that social image serves to motivate smoking initiation. Results indicate that the social image of both male and female smokers is an ambivalent one. (Author/MP)

Evaluated whether children view relationally manipulative behaviors as "aggressive." In study one, relational aggression was the most frequently cited angry behavior for girls' interactions; physical aggression was most frequently cited for boys. In study two, relational aggression and verbal insults were the most frequently cited harmful…

Investigates factors of social influence strategies employed by 195 children aged 11-15 and 114 mothers. Girls reported more frequent use and success of strategies anticipating noncompliance and boys more frequent use and success of autonomous strategies. Mothers reported differential reinforcement of boys' and girls' strategies. (RJC)

Examines the relationship of parental agreement in child rearing during early childhood and the psychological characteristics of adolescents. Results suggest that early family socialization experiences are important but different for boys and girls with respect to psychological content and the developmental timing of effects. (RJC)

Explored the roles of genes and environment in masculinity and femininity during pre- and early adolescence in 70 twins of 8-14 years. Results revealed significant genetic influences in all measures. Environmental influences were specific to each individual and not shared by members of the same twin pair. (RJC)

Reports on a longitudinal study of 144 young adolescents which hypothesized that boys and girls would experience increased gender-differential socialization across a 1-year period in which parents maintained a traditional division of labor, and there was a younger sibling of the opposite gender. Provides longitudinal analyses of three aspects of…

Children as young as eight years of age can discriminate between affect-eliciting statements, differentially rate up to five concurrent emotional responses, and predict response patterns similar to those predicted by adults. During adolescence, there are sex differences in the prediction of secondary emotions. (RH)

Relations among hormone levels, emotional dispositions, and aggressive attributes were examined in 56 boys and 52 girls, aged 9 to 14 years. (PCB)

Rated gender boundary violation and maintenance of 47 preadolescents participating in a summer day camp. Found that children who violated gender boundaries tended to be unpopular with peers; and children who maintained boundaries were judged by camp counselors to be more competent socially than children who violated boundaries. (MDM)

Evaluated emotional expressiveness, empathy, and prosocial behavior in 9-, and 13-year-olds. As expected, emotional expressiveness, emotional insight, and role taking were strong predictors of latent empathy. Boys' empathy was a strong predictor of prosocial behavior, whereas girls' empathy was related to prosocial behaviors with friends but not…

Three studies examined the hypothesis that aggressive-rejected children are unaware of their social status because they are self-protective when processing negative peer feedback. Found that aggressive rejected boys could accurately assess others' social status, but aggressive rejected boys and girls were more unrealistic in assessing their own…