Using naturalistic methods, examined effect of awareness and valuation of gender on children's social group interactions. Subjects were 96 3rd and 4th graders. Found that children do exaggerate differences and similarities when forming first impressions of new boys and girls and do use gender stereotypes in relating to the other sex. (JW)

Study supports the hypothesis that boys and girls, at the time they enter school, do not show the sex-related patterns of fantasy that have been found to differentiate adult men and women. By the age of about 9, sexual differentiation in fantasy patterns is clearly evident. (Authors/CB)

Seven and 12 year olds received feedback from another child while they played a game. The positive or negative nature of the feedback influenced children's emotional response to the feedback, their reports of their emotional response, and their understanding of their emotion. (BC)

Investigated genetic and environmental contributions to relationship between family and school environment and depressed mood; also potential sex differences in genetic and environment contributions to variation in and covariation between family connectedness, school connectedness, and depressed mood. Subjects were 2,302 adolescent sibling pairs.…

Examined development of self-body-esteem and relation between self-esteem and body-esteem in overweight and normal weight boys and girls in three age groups. Results were interpreted in terms of age differences in subjects and possible social influences in development of self-esteem in overweight youngsters. (Author/DST)

The relationship between verbal reasoning ability on the one hand and sex, social class, family size, and ordinal position in the family on the other were examined for a representative sample of 11-year-old Irish children. (Authors)

Mothers used unconstrained or trained facial expressions to convey to their infants messages about happiness or fear concerning a novel object. Results indicated that infants sought and used maternal appraisals; maternal messages of fear lacked clarity; and maternal messages regulated daughters' distance from objects. (BC)

Compares the frequency of peer and adult interactions, mean duration of social interactions, and amount of misbehavior in children attending Montessori, university laboratory and parent cooperative preschools. (DP)

Examined relationships between adolescents' explanations for unemployment, poverty, and homelessness, and their beliefs about opportunity, reports of family values, and personal aspirations. Found that likelihood of attributing problems to societal causes was positively related to maternal education and average household income in adolescent's…

Explored gender constancy's interaction with television viewing, using videotapes of television viewing and viewing diaries for 5-year olds. Gender-constant boys focused on more male characters and watched more action and sports programs than preconstant boys. Gender-constant girls viewed more action programming than preconstant girls. Acquisition…

Examined longitudinally the relationship between biological and social risk factors and aggressive behavior patterns among high-risk Australian adolescents in three groups: early-onset persistent aggression, adolescent-onset aggression, and nonaggressive behavior groups. Findings revealed that the interaction of biological and social risk factors…

Examined the nature and extent of parental influences on gender differentiation in 161 4-year olds from Hungary and England. Found that certain aspects of parental gender typing were associated with individual differences in children's behavior and gender typing. Association was related to sex of parent and of child, context, and aspect of gender…