Critically examines the empirical and theoretical basis for Maccoby and Jacklin's contention that males are more biologically predisposed toward aggressive behavior than are females. (Author/MP)

Using an open-ended questionnaire, 236 fifth- and sixth-grade pupils attributed their success or failure on a test given in their classroom to eight different causes. Results indicated that the pupils tended to attribute success mainly to external causes and failure mainly to internal causes. (JMB)

Examined whether aggressive boys' hostile attribution bias extends to processing incoming information. Subjects were asked to segment videotaped actions based on information conditions about the two boys playing in the film. Aggressiveness predicted change in segmentation after the critical event only in the neutral prior-information condition,…

Two cohorts of same-sex twin pairs were assessed on grammar and vocabulary. Findings indicated that vocabulary and grammar correlated strongly at 2 and 3 years in both cohorts, with a consistently high genetic correlation between vocabulary and grammar at both ages. Findings suggest that the same genetic influences operate for vocabulary and…

Three experiments examined development of perceptual causality in 3- to 9-year-olds. Findings indicated that participants of all ages assigned contact events (A moves toward B, which moves upon contact) to the physical domain and non-contact events (B moves before contact) to the psychological domain. Participants chose causality more often for…

Argues that, although research on conscience development in children has emphasized the contribution of parental socialization, the influence of children's temperament has been largely neglected. Proposes a new framework for the study of conscience development through a synthesis of the two approaches. (MDM)

Fourth and fifth graders viewed a slide show that depicted a boy displaying negative behaviors and that had a negative consistent or a positive inconsistent ending. Children who believed that personality is fixed, but not children who believed personality is malleable, did not differ in their ratings of the boy in the consistent- and…

Investigated Piaget's belief that immanent justice responses occur when fairness judgments override conceptions of physical causality in six- through eight-year-olds' understanding of a certain type of story. Results supported the prediction that children would use the belief in a just world in immanent justice judgments. (RH)

Examines whether prevention research can benefit from resilience research in designing interventions. Suggests that although many areas in the investigative interests of prevention and resilience researchers overlap, Luther, Cicchetti, and Becker may have set the bar too high for defining resilience in the context of varying levels of adversity.…

Maintains that multiple case study developmental pathway research is needed to substantiate the theoretical propositions of Rothbaum et al. (Author/KB)

Suggests ways to use dynamic systems analysis to illuminate the pluralistic and multidimensional model described by Larivee, Normandeau, and Parent (2000). Issues discussed include the characteristics of developmental transitions, such as hysteresis; nature of growth processes, such as hierarchical development or predator-prey interactions; and…

Examined infant verbal and nonverbal cognitive development for 1,937 pairs of same-sex 2-year-old twins. Found that verbal and nonverbal development correlated .42. Genetic factors were responsible for less than half of this phenotypic correlation. The genetic correlation between verbal and nonverbal abilities was only .30, suggesting that genetic…

Argues that dynamic systems theories may illuminate processes whereby public policy influences child development and highlight gaps in current relevant research. Discusses five principles of dynamic systems theories using examples from research addressing effects of current antipoverty and welfare policies on children. Concludes by suggesting…

Two studies compared executive function performance of preschoolers with autism and control group matched on age, verbal ability, and nonverbal ability. Study 1 found no group differences on eight tasks. Autistic children initiated fewer joint attention and social interaction behaviors. Followup with subset of Study 1 children found that neither…

Sinclair-de Zwart's findings on relationships between cognitive and linguistic development were compared with data gathered in Australia from 162 first-, second-, and third-grade Greek-English bilinguals (tested in both languages) and 136 English monoglots in the same classroom. (Author/CS)