Black children (N=233) from three age levels and two socioeconomic (SES) levels were given five Piagetian tasks to determine if differences in sex were associated with differences in cognitive development levels. Results showed that higher SES children performed better than lower SES children on all five measures of reasoning, seriation,…

Investigates the extent to which sex stereotypes impose competence (e.g., not knowing about objects) versus performance limitations (e.g., not performing for lack of reward) and the effects of sex stereotypes on exploration among 56 4- to 9-year-old children. (HOD)

Examines the roles of age of rater and age of children rated in grade-related shifts in children's perceptions of aggression and withdrawal. Shows that differences across grade level reported in children's peer rating largely reflect differences in the child raters' view of behavior. (HOD)

Investigates whether first- and fourth-grade children vary their production of redundant messages (saying more than the minimal necessary to be informative) as a function of sharing common experience with a listener. (HOD)

Examined age-related changes in the organization underlying children's ratings of peer social deviance. Peer ratings of aggression, withdrawal, and likeability using the Pupil Evaluation Inventory (PEI) were collected from first, fourth, and seventh graders. For all ages aggression and likeability items were found to comprise cohesive categories…

Examines the hypothesis that adults and children have media-specific conceptions of picturing and that the functional uses of photography and drawing differ across development. Results showed an age progression from viewing photography as only reflecting the real object to viewing it as a medium that allows for control and alteration of reality.…

Examined whether kindergarten and first-grade children give sex-biased responses if reinforced and/or triggered by language, specifically pronouns, that they hear. Results supported the pronomial dominance theory of pronoun functioning for young children. Results also suggest that boys but not girls use a self-imaging response to neutral…

Meaningfulness values, assessed via the production method, were obtained on 40 trigrams for 120 children, 40 each in second and sixth grade. These norms were subsequently used in a free-recall learning study. (MS)

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)

The interpersonal visual behavior of subjects of various ages was studied as they (1) conversed, and (2) participated in a block construction task with a partner of the same sex and same age. (DP)

Observation of infants and toddlers in a day care setting revealed that frequency of teacher-child interaction decreased and peer interaction increased with age. The increase in peer interaction appeared to be related to the toddlers' greater capacity for reciprocating social behaviors and increased use of vocal behavior in interactions. (JMB)

First-, third-, and fifth-grade children and adults performed a tactile shape-discrimination task. Changes in the magnitude of differences between performance in the left and right perceptual fields were examined. Results suggested that the right hemisphere becomes progressively more specialized for tactile spatial ability with increasing age.…

Scores on the Masculinity (M) and Femininity scales of the Personal Attributes Questionnaire were compared in male and female high school students, college students, parents of elementary school children, and parents of college students. (Author/MP)

Examined the relationship of kindergartners' to second graders' dispositional sympathy to individual differences in emotionality, regulation, and social functioning. Found that sympathy was associated with relatively high levels of regulation, teacher-reported positive emotionality, and general emotional intensity; and, especially for boys, high…

Compared 28- to 53-month-olds' writing and drawing. Scores on a writing scale composed of graphic, "writing-like," and symbolic schemes improved with age. Recognition of drawings as drawings preceded recognition of writings as writings. Writing and drawing scores were substantially correlated, even with age partialed out, suggesting that…